Pre-construction site of the CIH Coral Spawning Lab. Prior to completion of the Coral Innovation Hub propagation nursery, a coral spawning lab was designed and constructed to facilitate sexual reproduction restoration work.

An existing covered parking structure and it’s attached non-functional photovoltaic equipment room were allocated for construction of the Coral Spawning Lab.

Non-functional photovoltaic equipment removed and new main power panel and subpanel installed.

Site prepped for pouring of foundational concrete slab with floor drains.

Budget-engineered hand drawings of design, P&ID, equipment and materials list produced.

Staging room allocated and outfit for equipment and supplies.

Raceways drilled for bulkhead and manifold installation.

Layout of raceways using cinder block and lumber pedestals.

Raceways positioned on pedestals, leveled, and ready for plumbing.

Seawater supply, drains, and overhead lighting systems installed.

Recirculation reservoir, chiller, filtration, primary and secondary pumps installed.

Initial build out of control room and lab. RO/DI evaporation top of system and Ozone sterilization system installed.

Equipment, 4-20mA sensors, and comms wiring routed to control room.

APEX controllers, sensor modules, and pump controllers installed.

Control room completed.

Coral fragging station installed.

All systems tested and operational.

Corals, fragments, and settlement tiles prepared for spawning and experimentation.

Control room outfit with analytical equipment and lab supplies to facilitate in vitro fertilization and symbiont manipulation experiments.

Successful field and captive spawning, in vitro fertilization, settlement, and larval outplanting for restoration demonstrated within months following commissioning.

CIH Coral Spawning Lab.

Commissioned 2019.