Biorock Technology and Coral Aquaculture

[MysticSea]

I am a college senior doing my thesis research and curious to see if anyone in this community knows about using electrical currents to increase coral growth. Just a summary of what is typically done is using the electrical currents passing through metal rods (ex. platinum) to concentrate calcium and magnesium ions to where the coral is established. Thus increasing growth specifically toward hard corals like Acropora, which has been studied in the open ocean environment. What I am doing is applying this method and adjusting it to be used in aquaculture for coral growers. This is just a very short summary of what I am doing but I am interested to hear from those experienced and those that haven't heard of this to ask any questions/suggestions.

If you want to know a bit more I can add it to the thread. The purpose of this is just to see if reefers know about this technology and to see if some are aware of this that have done research.

 

[reef lover]

Curious...any results yet?

 

[Auquanut]

Fascinating concept. I assume positive results were achieved in the open ocean experiments? I would absolutely like to see your methods and follow your progress. Not something my tired old brain could ever understand, I'd wind up electrocuting myself and my tank. ;Facepalm Good luck!

 

[MysticSea]

Fascinating concept. I assume positive results were achieved in the open ocean experiments? I would absolutely like to see your methods and follow your progress. Not something my tired old brain could ever understand, I'd wind up electrocuting myself and my tank. ;Facepalm Good luck!

Yes, all the journals I read had positive results its when they are done in enclosed systems is when things get a bit tricky with many variables causing problems (ex. using metal wiring that forms rust). Here I have a picture of my frags I did last week from right to left: Acropora yongei, Red Monopora spp., Blue Sympodium spp., Porites porites, Zoanthid socictus, Favia, Acancora and Euphyilla Parancora. These corals I am using based on commonly sold, hard to obtain and uniqueness. I'll keep updating this thread as my experiment goes on but, if people have questions I will gladly answer them. ;)

 

[Auquanut]

Okay. One question. Since theoretically the current runs from pole to pole, are you able to keep a control group and test group in the same tank, or do you run two identical tanks?

 

[MysticSea]

Okay. One question. Since theoretically the current runs from pole to pole, are you able to keep a control group and test group in the same tank, or do you run two identical tanks?

How I have them is two large tanks that are connected. The first tank will be the control and we will be testing our electrode rods this week. With these rods we will block the current from entering the control tank. Of course we will have meters to measure electrical currents in both tanks in case there are implications.
Both tanks have the same water chemistry, lighting (MaxiSun LED) and corals are on same plugs (Suramic by Rock Hard Reefs). I also number code each species and from each species I number the replicates which is six for each species.

 

[Auquanut]

Wow! Very thorough! Definitely following.

 

[Keith Lorraine]

Hi, Keen on outcome results? I was thinking about setting up a scape made of steel frame instead of scaping with rock as a way of creating an interesting scape and found this thread. If the results are good then i would continue using the current after initial scape has calcified.