Concrete Reefs

Concrete cinder blocks are increasingly used in artificial reef construction due to their porous texture, structural complexity, and chemical stability in marine environments, which together facilitate marine biodiversity colonization.

The surface roughness and crevices of cinder blocks provide ideal microhabitats for sessile organisms like barnacles, tunicates, coralline algae, and soft corals to attach and grow, forming the base of a developing reef ecosystem.

Their modularity allows them to be stacked or clustered in ways that mimic natural reef topography, offering shelter and breeding grounds for crustaceans, mollusks, and reef fish such as damselfish and blennies.

Over time, biofouling and carbonate deposition integrate the blocks into the surrounding benthic environment, enhancing their ecological value.

Additionally, concrete's pH can be tuned during mixing to better match seawater conditions, minimizing leaching and encouraging rapid colonization by marine larvae, thus accelerating the succession toward a stable and biodiverse artificial reef system.