Coral Lok

Why Coral Lok?
‍Coral Lok devices offer scientists, researchers, and reef builders a method for rapid and secure mechanical attachment of cultivated corals to marine substrate without exposing coral organisms to harmful substances or stress inducing trauma.

What is a Coral Lok?
‍In its simplest form, a Coral Lok is a frag plug with special external threads on its stem that mechanically join with receivers having special internal threads.ae consuming sea urchins.

What is so special about Coral Lok threads?
‍Both the external and internal threads have been engineered to be easily joined yet form a tight bond once screwed in. Elongated pitch, rounded crest and root profile and eased thread angle prevent jamming by marine bio-foul, promote initial alignment and ease of insertion while providing more than enough holding power. No tools are required. Hand tight joinery will provide a stable and secure attachment that will not accidently come undone.

What is the size and shape of Coral Lok frag plugs?
‍Coral Lok frag plugs are made in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. Custom sizes and shapes are also available.

What is the size and shape of Coral Lok receivers?
‍Receiver components are available in any shape, size, configuration, and receiver quantity imaginable. Domes, pillars, pucks and single buttons Receiver components in the form of a canopy arch with 3 contact points, when attached to submerged substrate, create habitat for other marine organisms and a means for them to escape predation from larger organisms. These canopy forms can be sized and shaped to accommodate specific organisms such as small and juvenile fish or algae consuming sea urchins.

What are Coral Lok components made of?
‍Coral Lok frag plugs are composed of ground limestone, microsilicas, basalt microfiber and calcium sulfoaluminate cement binder. Coral Lok receivers are made with the same ingredients as Coral Lok plugs with the addition of expanded volcanic obsidian for weight reduction.

What accessories are available for Coral Lok?
‍Rectangular platform for in-tank cultivation. Round transport platform for offshore cultivation or stacked transport in a standard 5-gallon pail. Custom sized and shaped platforms are available.

How are Coral Lok components sold?
‍Coral Lok components are only available to scientists, researchers, institutions, government agencies and anyone involved in coral restoration. They are not available to retail consumers. The most common Coral Lok frag plug is 3.175 cm (1.25 inches) in diameter. They are available in increments of one hundred. Five thousand plugs this size are typically in inventory and ready to ship. Receiver components are made to order and usually ship within a few weeks depending on quantity required.

Conventional attachment methods may result in high attrition rates for out-planted corals.
‍Much data is published regarding the number of coral organisms outplanted onto reefs but not much mention is made of how many of those corals survive. There are many factors influencing attrition rates of newly out-planted corals including overgrazing by corallivores, algae overgrowth, reduced resistance to disease, poor water quality, and trauma caused during the attachment process. Water quality during the initial stages of out-planting, when the coral organism is perhaps most vulnerable, may be substantially influenced by water contamination originating from the adhesive used for attachment.

What is wrong with epoxy adhesives for coral attachment?
‍Epoxy adhesive is an organic compound composed of a phenol and acetone resin that is cured when mixed with an amide and polyamide agent. An exothermic reaction is required for the chains of carbon and oxygen atoms in the mixed epoxy to completely cross-link. Epoxy resin can’t fully exotherm in a cold environment (underwater) and therefore the resin, despite appearing cured on the surface, will not fully cross-link for a considerable length of time. This is significant because partially cured epoxy will exude unreacted hazardous components and harmful chemicals into surrounding water. Organisms exposed to these substances in surrounding seawater may be weakened, experience decreased functionality or higher than normal rates of morbidity due to their proximity to the leaching chemicals.

What is wrong with cementitious mortars for coral attachment?
‍Cement based mortars are composed of minerals and cement binders that become rigid during the process of hydration. To be sufficiently “plastic” for molding around a coral organism yet stiff enough to resist disintegration while being handled underwater the mortar typically contains various pozzolanic materials and calcium oxide, lime. These ingredients are very caustic and alkaline. Capillaries in the cured mortar created by excessive mix water provide channels for unreacted lime, known as “free lime,” to migrate out of the cured mortar. Organisms exposed to these substances in surrounding seawater may be weakened, experience decreased functionality or higher than normal rates of morbidity due to their proximity to the surrounding contaminated water.

Mechanical attachment without water contamination.
‍Coral Lok plugs provide a stable base upon which a coral fragment may be attached using a minute amount of adhesive while in the nursery/lab. Any adverse reactions of the coral to the adhesive can be monitored and mitigated during the initial stages of attachment while still in the lab. Once cultured to a viable size the coral can be outplanted onto a Coral Lok receiver without using any chemical or cement based adhesive. The Coral Lok receivers are either incorporated into an artificial reef module or previously attached to natural substrate using adhesive that has been rendered harmless and inert by environmental exposure. Coral Lok attachment system eliminates any exposure by the outplanted coral organism to harmful or hazardous substances contaminating the surrounding water that may have originated from adhesives typically used for conventional attachment of coral fragments to the reef.

Minimizing coral trauma while increasing attachment efficiencies.
‍Cultured corals transitioning from the nursery to open ocean substrate lack the resilience of established healthy corals which may be more capable of recovering from most negative interactions. Outplanted coral fragments must survive predation by corallivores, water quality issues, and environmental challenges while establishing themselves in their new habitat. These newly outplanted corals may be unnecessarily stressed or experience diminished survival rates due to unintentional rough handling during conventional attachment process. Current attachment methods may overly traumatize young corals. A typical nursery grown coral may be growth-stimulated by the fragmentation process but once ready for out-planting that coral may suffer from the trauma of being jostled, dropped, banged around and excessively handled.‍

Minimal handling and secure transport can reduce trauma to outplanted corals.
‍Coral Lok frag plugs have a threaded appendage on the underside of the coral mounting surface which firmly secures the attached coral organism to growth and transport platforms during cultivation. Later this same threaded appendage provides permanent mechanical attachment of the Coral Lok plug to Coral Lok threaded receivers located on the marine reef. The coral organism is secure during cultivation and transport. It can’t inadvertently roll around, bump into adjacent organisms, fall from the platform or otherwise experience physical trauma from mishandling.‍

Coral Lok receivers increase attachment rates and speed outplanting.
‍Conventional coral attachment methods require site preparation and adhesive attachment for single corals, one coral at a time. The technician must chip or scrape away any biofilm from the natural substrate and scarify a surface area to promote successful adhesion of the adhesive material. A single coral is then fixed to the prepared area with a dollop of adhesive material, either epoxy or cement mortar, which is shaped around the coral and held firmly against the scarified substrate. If the attachment later fails, the coral is either reattached or is otherwise lost. Using this conventional method, a single diver can attach about 5 to 8 corals per hour. Coral Lok receivers capable of supporting 3 to 30 corals can be attached to submerged substrates using the same method described above. The receivers are designed to completely encapsulate the adhesive material thereby minimizing exposure of any adhesive to the surrounding water. As well, artificial reef modules can be fabricated with hundreds of Coral Lok receivers prior to deployment. Once a multitude of Coral Lok receivers are permanently fixed to the reef substrate, or an artificial reef module outfitted with Coral Lok receivers is submerged onto the ocean floor, a diver can subsequently mechanically attach hundreds of Coral Lok frag plugs per hour. Coral Lok receivers can be spaced sufficiently apart to reduce competition between outplanted adjacent corals fragmented from different parent colonies. Coral Lok receivers can be grouped in close proximity to each other to promote the merging of multiple fragments from the same parent colony thereby creating large coral colonies more quickly than would occur naturally. Coral Lok receivers can also be incorporated into reef habitat components which, when attached to reef substrate, create micro habitat for other beneficial marine organisms. These components can be scaled in size and shaped to accommodate specific organisms such as juvenile fish or algae consuming sea urchins.