Innovation

Fish Apartments are artificial homes for fish that serve as new fish habitat and a replacement for damaged coral reefs. Fish Apartments provide shelter, spawning ground, and a friendly environment for fish eggs to hatch. After several months, new coral begins to grow on the Fish Apartments, which become a new collection of coral reefs.

The advantage of the Fish Apartment compared to the traditional materials for artificial fish habitat (tires or dilapidated cars, etc., placed in the water) is the sturdy construction that resists shifting in strong current. This prevents damage to the coral reefs around the Fish Apartments.

Features of the AquaTec Fish Apartment:

· Environmentally friendly

· Durable -- lasts up to 100 years

· Driven into the seabed using a patented anchor system that avoids shifting

· Installed by a team of certified technical divers

· Thirty partitioned "rooms" accommodate the life of territorial fishes

· Attractor net attracts fishes to gather and spawn

· Solar-powered LED buoy lights make an Apartment easy to find after installation

· Begins to be overgrown by new coral within ± 2 months

· Soft corals, sponges, and anemones thrive within ± 7 months

Inspiration

The inspiration for Fish Apartments came out of concern that coral reefs and the marine life that live there are disappearing. Fish Apartments are a replacement for damaged reefs and decreased fish habitat.

Indonesia has 2,915,000 square kilometers of marine area. The reef area is 51,020 square kilometers. Of that amount, 82% of it is at risk. Indonesia holds 17% of the world's total coral reef areas. Blast fishing, illegal since 1985, still goes on today, along with cyanide fishing, illegal since 1995.

Indonesia is the world's largest exporter of coral. The 500 tons of coral exported per year is hurting the coral reefs. This inspired PT Gani Arta Dwitunggal to invent the Fish Apartment, giving the coral and fish a new place to thrive.

Overall impact

As more Fish Apartments are installed, the beauty of underwater scenery in Indonesia is restored and marine life has a new place to gather and breed. This benefits recreation and commerce wherever the Fish Apartments are placed.

Business benefit

More fish breeding grounds mean more marine life available for local businesses to harvest and sell. Restored coral reefs attract tourists and recreational deep-sea divers.

PT Gani Arta Dwitunggal (AquaTec) received a Maritime Technology Innovation award from Indonesia Maritime Institute for the Fish Apartment. This is the latest technological innovation AquaTec has made to increase places for fish to find a new home.

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Social and environmental benefit

PT Gani Arta Dwitunggal installed five units of AquaTec Fish Apartments in ± 15 meters of water at Tulamben, Bali. The results were:

• Three days after installation, ornamental fish of various sizes were seen occupying AquaTec Fish Apartments.
• Three weeks after installation, the entire infrastructure of the Fish Apartments were overgrown with moss, and fish had hatched from eggs and were living in the Fish Apartment environment.
• Two months after installation, the moss was replaced by barnacles and coral reef seeds; soft coral and sponges were growing on the Fish Apartment.
• Seven months after installation, the Fish Apartments had been overgrown by soft corals, sponges, and anemones.

Interview

Mr. Andi, Mr.