Today we handle the husbandry aspect of the restoration process. Linda starts by cutting some of the coral that are grown enough.
Barbara and I then tie the new bits of coral with filaments and hang them back in the tree. With proper care and conditions, the new fragments will grow by 1cm per month. Outside a nursery condition, the growth is much slower and estimated at 1cm per year.
On our way back, I spot a moray eel under the rock.
In the afternoon, we will implant some corals back to initiate a new reef. But before that, we make a quick detour to see a seahorse.
After Linda has selected some of the coral that are fit to be implanted, Barbara and I start preparing the rock very accurately on the chosen spot to fit the coral.
Once the coral is stable by itself on the set area, we will fix it firmly with an epoxy resin to ensure a firm attachment that it is not getting displaced by the current or by anything else.
Linda checks every single coral have been properly placed and the work we’ve done is thorough.
The new implementation site is marked for reference. Thanks a lot for this great experience, I will share it and participate as much as I can.
