BHCFA.org Junior Mates latest artificial reef deployment

Thanks for the coordinates. Also note the MOST important time to not disturb new module placements is the first 2 weeks. This is the period when the resident fish in the area....knowing that there is a new structure, will be checking it out and they actually display and "fight" with other fish of similar size/species in mock battles to determine which fish will get to come back to the reef once the food chain develops (Food chain development is what I presume you are referring to as six months which is about right in NJ. it kinda depends on local conditions but usually at least a summer season in the north or sometimes multi-year in the tropics and it depends on the food source for the fish, for example, Sheepshead's primary food which is barnacles will often find new material suitable in as little as a month since barnacles grow so fast whereas fish that eat bait will move in when the bait finds the habitat suitable (sometimes right away when the material is disturbing the water column in a way that makes feeding on plankton easier). Other food sources can take longer to develop (think shellfish, crustaceans, algae, etc). The point is disturbing the territory claiming rights part can lead to the resident fishes not laying claim and that can delay the development of a robust community later.