Underwater garden

Any of you Florida folks ever think about building a reef in the Ocean?
I thought if you got the local government involved... maybe there's some good places to have reefers come make a really nice underwater coral garden.. I lived in Miami years ago and used to go snorkeling at the Jetty at south beach. The rocks go way out and there's a lot of brain coral. The further out ya go there's more color. Thought it would be neat to get some cool frags going out there to make a nicer snorkeling place.

 

Can you imagine how big of a protein skimmer you would need!!

Anyway, that would be really pretty though, but I think nature does dang fine job herself.

 

There are so many enviromental issues with introducing non-native species it is unfathomable. While a fine idea, it would be super difficult to implement. You would probably have to fence the area off to give you frags at least a fighting chance initially.

Also, the chances of introducing something into the water that is non-native and destructive is to great.

Just look at your lionfish issue I keep reading about everywhere.

 

I think that is a cool idea if you get clearance to do so. Not sure how to go about it, but if you are not introducing invasive species, you might get a green light! (Stick with local species) Please keep me posted via PM, I would like to follow your effort here.

 

More thought here... I'd probably go with this angle - frag species from the local waters for your garden - nothing from the aquarium trade that has been in tanks or moved around. You don't know what hitchhikers you might have.

 

All good points that's why I think the local government would have to have a hand in it. Most people probably don't realize right there at the beach there's a lot of life .. you just have to go out to the end of the rocks to see some neat stuff. I've seen Octopus, Giant rays, and lots of the usual crabs, common corals.
I rented a house part of last year in San Juan.. and in front of the house was a lot off rocky areas... the system there has had a hard time recovering from all the years where the Puerto Ricans dumped their raw sewage directly into the ocean 40 years ago. There's some recovery, but probably needs a hand.

 

Well yeah, they sink old ships all the time! These in turn become "Artificial Reefs" because they really aren't REAL reefs!!!

...and the government IS involved. They frown upon anyone else going out and blowing up old battleships and the like.
(Okay I'll stop being a smart A&& now)

Most of these are sank in deeper areas and eventually become havens for sport fish, and prized locations for anglers. But a shallower wreck could make a great "coral" reef. The problem is that they would be creating a hazard to navigation.

Heck, there is even an underwater cemetery around here, somewhere...(if it didn't go belly up already)

 

I'm aware of those reefs.. but not really what I'm talking about. Those you have to go way out and have scuba gear... As far as navigation channels go.. well that's a no brainer.
For instance there at the beach in Miami there are some rocks that go way out and the snorkeling is great there. Planting some local corals and the like would make it all the better. In San Juan right on the local beaches there's a lot of rocks .. Perfect for some more life than is there. It's kind of boring down there. Most of the life was destroyed by runoff and sewage from the time before they had sewage treatment.

 

I would think the corals would "seed" themselves...could be water quality issues, fertilizers are the bane of the Great Barrier Reef, I've heard.

 

Yeah, another problem is living right on the beach ya see people pulling stuff out as souvenirs. What can you expect from a city where cock fighting is still legal and commonplace.