ARC Marine Research Laboratories (ARC Reef)

ARC Reef operates as a state and federally licensed marine research laboratory and commercial aquaculture facility. We provide highly controlled biological infrastructure and foundational reef ecology products for institutional researchers, commercial facilities, and dedicated consumer aquarists. Our laboratory is equipped for rigorous NS, OS, and UL water testing, enabling our scientific team to isolate pathogens, identify coral diseases, and execute advanced water chemistry profiling. ARC Reef specializes in the phycological hybridization of 6 distinct species of aquacultured coralline algae. By engineering optimal settlement conditions, our dedicated staff of marine biologists, research associates, and skilled divers are united by a singular objective: driving measurable, positive change in global coral reef ecology.

Our Mission & Ecosystem Engineering

Our primary mission is the rapid development and deployment of innovative reef-building techniques across the United States, the Bahamas, and Puerto Rico. Our proprietary coralline algae seeding programs are currently utilized to catalyze coral settlement on both artificial matrices and natural reefs degraded by stressor events. By saturating the environment with viable coralline spores, we accelerate reef maturity by a full 12 months while aggressively outcompeting nuisance algae growth phases. We strictly advocate for the total cessation of wild reef harvesting.

The Florida Reef Tract—the third-largest barrier reef in the world—has lost 79% of its coral density. To reverse this, ARC Reef commits 20% of all gross sales directly to reef restoration. Every purchase of our Live Rock and Coralline Algae products helps fund these initiatives. We extend our gratitude to our customers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Department of Agriculture for their continued support.

ARC Reef – Certified Aquaculture

Sustainable Aquaculture Processes

ARC Reef is dedicated to utilizing proceeds from our commercial operations to actively benefit marine ecosystems. To date, this funding mechanism has successfully planted over 43,500 sq. ft. of new coral reefs, a metric we project to double within the next 12 months. We are currently navigating specialized permitting to propagate two species of endangered corals, Elkhorn Coral (Acropora palmata) and Staghorn Coral (Acropora cervicornis), as well as one species of threatened coral, Pillar Coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus). You can read more about our current local initiatives at the Heart Reef Miami project.

Biological Infrastructure & Quality Control

Our onshore facilities utilize over 10,000 gallons of staging and grow-out systems, supported by dedicated research vectors for isolated coral studies. We maintain absolute environmental parity with natural reef ecosystems through rigorous parameter control. Water chemistry is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, ensuring all baselines perfectly match the natural seawater found 4 miles offshore at our primary artificial reef project. ARC Reef staff conduct weekly water samplings across offshore, nearshore, and inland locations; this data is analyzed in-house and published in collaboration with partner agencies.

We maintain high-turnover flow rates and heavy protein skimming to immediately isolate and eliminate organic die-off. Furthermore, our live rock is collected and transported strictly submerged in specialized vessel holds. This continuous-submersion protocol completely bypasses the need for post-collection cycling. We continuously integrate new technologies to enhance coloration, growth, and the overall health of our specimens, passing this data to the public through the research literature available on our site.