Conch Reef is a coral reef

Coral reef

Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...

 located within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is a U.S. National Marine Sanctuary in the Florida Keys. It includes the Florida Reef, the only barrier coral reef in North America and the third-largest coral barrier reef in the world. It also has extensive mangrove forest and seagrass fields...

. It lies to the southeast of Plantation Key

Plantation Key

Plantation Key is an island in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is located in the upper Florida Keys on U.S. 1 , between Key Largo and Windley Key....

. This reef is within a Sanctuary Preservation Area (SPA). Adjacent to the SPA is a "Research Only" zone and the Aquarius underwater laboratory

Aquarius (laboratory)

The NOAA Aquarius Reef Base is an underwater habitat located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, adjacent to Conch Reef. It is one of the few underwater research facilities in the world dedicated to science...

 is at the center of the zone. Outside of these zones is Conch Wall, a deep wall reef.

Approximate coordinates: 24°57′11"N 080°27′30"W

External Links

• Contour map of Conch Reef, with Aquarius lab in center
• Benthic Habitat Map
• Video of Pillar coral
  Pillar coral
  Pillar corals are a type of hard coral which live in the western Atlantic Ocean. They are one of the digitate corals which resemble fingers, or a cluster of cigars, growing up from the sea floor, but without any secondary branching.Pillar corals can grow to be up to 2.5 m tall...
  
  at Conch Wall
• Barbara H. Lidz, Christopher D. Reich, and Eugene A. Shinn. Systematic Mapping of Bedrock and Habitats along the Florida Reef Tract—Central Key Largo to Halfmoon Shoal (Gulf of Mexico). USGS Professional Paper 1751 Tile 2, Conch Reef