Giant clam
Tridacna
Giant clams filter the water around them and grow on light, fed by the algae living in their tissue. Ours are part of our research on microplastic filtration, reef reseeding and carbon storage.
Adopt a reef resident at IMARCS
Name it, follow it, and help fund the work that keeps it thriving. From about $0.50 a day. Cancel anytime.
Nonprofit 501(c)(3) · Donations may be tax deductible · Secure checkout
Proud member
Research partner
Field partner
Research partnerField partner- Earmarked for the reef residentsAdoption money goes to the reef residents and their care.
- Bank-level securityStripe checkout. Apple Pay, Google Pay or card.
- Cancel anytimeOne click from your account.
- 501(c)(3) nonprofitEIN 39-2591649. Donations may be tax deductible.
Choose a Reef Resident
Every reef resident lives at our facility in Japan and is part of the research we run there. Pick one, then choose how you want to follow along.
Clownfish pair
Amphiprion ocellaris and A. percula
Bred in Japan for community education and an ongoing genomic study. Every pair raised here is one fewer taken from the wild.
Carpet anemone
Stichodactyla haddoni
We have spawned them in captivity and are now working on the harder part: settling and rearing the young.
Flowerpot coral
Goniopora spp.
Reared at our Japan facility for conservation and potential medical research.
Give adoption as a gift
They get the welcome email, name the reef resident themselves, and follow it every month. You get the receipt.
Your adoption keeps our research going
The IMARCS Foundation runs on support from people like you. Adoption money is earmarked specifically for the reef residents and their care, and that care is what makes the research possible. And the work we are doing goes far beyond these tanks.
For science
We are testing whether giant clams can filter microplastics, store carbon, and help bleached corals recover. We are working to rear carpet anemones from a captive spawn, something that to our knowledge has not yet been documented. Every result adds to what the world knows about reefs, and how we can help them.
For reefs and the wild
All giant clam species are threatened, and nearly every carpet anemone and most flowerpot corals in the aquarium trade are still taken from the wild. Clams grown out to reseed reefs, and animals bred and propagated in captivity, take that pressure off wild populations.
For people
Coral reefs feed coastal communities, support fisheries, and support livelihoods; mangroves protect shorelines from storms, filter pollutants, and shelter the nurseries of reef fish. Healthier reefs mean healthier lives for the people who live alongside them, with knock-on effects for people who live inland as well. Our flowerpot coral work also has the potential for medical research in the future.
When you adopt, you are making a huge difference. You are helping with important research that could have wide-ranging scientific, ecological, and humanitarian impacts.
Choose YoursThree ways to follow along
The donation is the same for every reef resident. Pay monthly, or once a year for the same total. Something new arrives every month either way.
Steward
Ages 13 and up
$15
a month, or $180 a year
- Monthly photo or video of your reef resident, with growth numbers
- A behind-the-scenes research note
- Quarterly Q&A with our President and Vice President
Family
Kids ages 2 to 12
$19
a month, or $228 a year
- A new coloring page and worksheet every month, drawn from one of the reef residents in our care
- Christian or standard edition
- Every family name on the certificate
- Quarterly Q&A with our President and Vice President
Classroom
Classrooms, 4-H clubs, scout troops
$29
a month, or $348 a year
- Everything in Family, plus a leader sheet with lesson notes and answers
- Permission to copy for your whole group
- A class certificate and quarterly Q&A with our President and Vice President
- Christian or standard edition
Where your adoption goes. The IMARCS Foundation is a registered US 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Adoption money is earmarked specifically for the reef residents and their care: the food, the tanks and the people who care for these reef residents every day.
Already an adopter? Manage your adoption. Questions? Email [email protected].
Already an adopter? Manage your adoption. Questions? Email [email protected].
Check your resident reef inhabitant's status anytime
Every adoption includes a private page for your reef resident, updated as we log each reading, note and photo. Open it whenever you like:
- Live tank readings: temperature, salinity and pH from our testing log, with 30-day trends. Coral tanks also show dKH, nitrate and phosphate.
- Notes from our Head of Life Support, with every past update kept.
- Growth over time, charted from every measurement (for clownfish pairs, every spawning event and clutch raised).
- A timeline from arrival to today, with photos and video.
- The feeding log.
- Ask a question and it goes straight to our Head of Life Support.
- Update emails whenever the page changes, if you want them.
The full history stays on the page. Every reading, note, photo and log is kept, so you can look back through the records anytime.
Straight away: its profile, your certificate and the link to its private page. Every month: an update in your inbox. Every quarter: a live Q&A with our President and Vice President. Every January: your year in review.
Families and classrooms also get a new coloring page and worksheet each month for the age range they choose.
How it works
- Choose a plan. Monthly or yearly, for yourself or as a gift.
- Name your inhabitant. The name goes on your certificate.
- Meet it today. Your welcome, profile and certificate arrive by email immediately.
- Follow along. Check its status page anytime. New updates appear as soon as they are published.
The people caring for your resident reef inhabitant
Michael Maddox, B.Sc.
President and Head of Life Support
Runs the life support systems that keep every reef resident in our tanks alive.
Jordan Flagel, B.A., M.S., M.Sc.
Vice President and Lead Researcher
Over a decade working in reefs, mangroves and tropical forests for organizations including UN Green Corps.
Gui Paphorn, B.A.
Treasurer and Head of Indigenous Outreach
A member of the Karen people who fled persecution in Myanmar, Gui leads our work with indigenous communities.
Vanessa Arranz, Ph.D.
Research Advisor
A marine molecular ecologist and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow at the University of Barcelona.
Juan Moles, Ph.D.
Research Advisor
A mollusc specialist who has helped describe dozens of new species and has been a postdoc at Harvard and taught at the University of Barcelona.
Questions
Is my “reef resident” a real animal?
Yes. It is a real animal in our care at our facility in Japan. Adoption is symbolic, so it stays with us, and you follow it every month.
How do I see my reef inhabitant?
On its status page, where every update appears as soon as it is published, including notes from our Head of Life Support. You also get each month's update by email.
Can other people adopt the same animal?
Yes. The name you give it is yours, on your certificate and in your updates.
Can I cancel?
Anytime, in one click. Your adoption runs to the end of the period you paid for.
Is it tax deductible?
IMARCS is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 39-2591649. Donations may be tax deductible, and your receipt arrives by email.
Where does my money go?
Adoption money is earmarked specifically for the reef residents and their care.
Is my payment safe?
Checkout runs on Stripe with bank-level encryption. We never see or store your card details. You can pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay or card.
Do you share my information?
No. We never sell or share it.
Can I give it as a gift?
Yes. Add their name and email at checkout. They name the reef resident, and you get the receipt.
What is the Classroom plan?
For classrooms, 4-H clubs and scout troops: the monthly pages plus a leader sheet and permission to copy for your group. Christian or standard edition.
What is the Christian edition?
Family and Classroom adopters can choose it: the same materials plus a short faith insert.
What if something happens to my reef resident?
We tell you right away and move your adoption to another reef resident of the same kind, with no interruption.
Your reef resident is waiting for a name
From about $0.50 a day. Cancel anytime.
Choose YoursNonprofit 501(c)(3) · Donations may be tax deductible · Secure checkout by Stripe
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