New London — Justin Credabel Grabel has been wild for fish since he was a youth, and the city native said that in later years led to a fascination with coral.

Now the downtown businessman has opened Credabel Coral Laboratory & Gallery at 153 Bank St., a place where about 20 salt-water fish tanks grow the main building blocks of the world's reefs while above will hang a variety of artwork, including coral pieces that Grabel himself has created.

It's an unusual juxtaposition that Grabel will show off at 5 p.m. Friday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony and educators' open house featuring his uncle, Mayor Michael Passero. From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, an open house will be held for the public to view some 10,000 coral pieces that Grabel is growing both upstairs and down, using special LED lights.

"There are about 2,000 coral species in the world, and 500 are unnamed," Grabel said during a tour of his business this week. "And within each species, there are several hundreds or thousands of variants."

Grabel, considered a leading expert on the propagation of goniopora coral, has made a business of it both in California and on Long Island. After a split with a former business partner, he decided to move back to his hometown to continue his cutting-edge research, he said, as well as maintain his lifelong interests in marine education and art.

The business includes the coral laboratory, featuring some 2,500 gallons of saltwater coral habitat complete with fish, along with an art gallery focusing on artwork and photography by research scientists, reef hobbyists and local artists, as well as an education center where students can learn about environmental issues and sustainability.

Grabel sells much of his coral to pet stores and aquariums, but another side of his efforts, he said, is to save the coral reef near St. Martin in the Caribbean. He does so by using the coral he grows in his labs to seed new coral beds, he said.

"Some coral doubles in size every two to three weeks," Grabel said. "Others double every year or two."

Fish in the tanks, he said, are key to keeping the coral healthy.

"The fish eat the algae," Grabel said. "They're good for nutrient processing and pest control."

Grabel said his new business is mostly a one-man operation for now. But he expects to eventually hire two part-timers in the near future.

He said New London turned out to be a great place for his business because of tax benefits associated with being in an Enterprise Zone. According to an online description, such zones allow for an 80 percent personal-property tax abatement for five years as well as other business tax credits.

"New London ended up being a great place to do it," he said. "It's been terrific. They rolled out the red carpet."

The events Saturday will include several speakers famous in the coral field, Grabel said, including Laura Simmons, curator of Cairns Marine in Australia, and Mr. Saltwater Tank, star of a popular web TV show of the same name. Hobbyists will be able to talk to representatives of companies well known in the coral field, and Credabel will provide containers for those who want to trade frags, small pieces of coral.

While some might complain about the commercialization of coral at a time when reefs have taken significant environmental hits, Grabel is convinced that this is the best way to save these endangered areas. He's all for any tourism that brings people to dive or snorkel in the coral reefs, for instance.

"Tourism is going to be what saves the coral reefs," he said. "It's synergistic."

l.howard@theday.com