[mishu1984]

placement: you want it in about 30-40ft of water max to get fast growth because reefs need sunlight. preferebly a zone with low to medium currents, as strong currents may retard growth. if the area has a constant thermocline its great as some fish like to hang on the thermocline, so if you have a portion of the artificial reef in the warmer part and another in the colder, you bascially nailed it rite on the spot.
yeah you can use an old rope with growth on it so speed up the processes, but it will still take close to a year where you can harvest the fish in a decent fashion. remember that throwing a log into a lake and creating your own reef in the sea are two different things time-wise.
also, you can place wood inside the dome to help get some growth started. people have experimented with the use of solar-powered floating iodes to stimulate growth with much success. alternatively, you can use some iron bars within ur structure, but keep them inside the dome as well in order to avoid tangling a net, which is another idea why you should inspect your project weekly: you can and will have to remove nets if you wont just want to end up with a bunch of barnacles.

you can place small rocks and other materials to form a larger chain. given that you are back states-side, you could probably access the florida fish and game website, they should be able to give HUGE amounts of info on artificial reef creation.

also, if you can use limestone instead of cinderblocks (maybe cinderblocks are indeed made of limestone-i dont know, your guess is as good as mine) it would be much better as limestone has a lot of calcium carbide or bicarbonate or something else whose name escapes me at the moment, but anyways, its the building blocks of coral.


also, you want to keep the coordinates private, as you dont want a bunch of guys messing with your setup.

if you really want to take this another step further, you can start some organization that goes out and sets up artificial reefs and such. i know they exist in florida, i dont see why it shouldnt work in the lone star state.

g-luck and if you have any more questions just ask.