Chris Meckley of ACI Aquaculture’s Reef and Coral Keeping 101: Part 1: Tanks, Equipment and Accessories
Coral reefs are considered the rainforests of the sea – dense, hotbeds of biodiversity and beauty. Covering less than 1% of the ocean floor, they are believed to contain about 25% of all known marine species. It’s no wonder that interest in reef-keeping, as well advances in reef tank technology have increased exponentially over the past 10-15 years.
My guest today, Chris Meckley is an aquarist with a passion for the aquarium hobby and a blue thumb for coral keeping. Chris and his wife Amanda own and run ACI Aquaculture, a highly successful and well-known coral aquaculture and wholesale facility in Plant City, Florida. Join us, as Chris shares his story and begins Part 1 of our series, Reef and Coral Keeping 101.
BIO:
Chris Meckley is a passionate aquarist with extensive knowledge of coral reef aquarium habitats. He specializes and consults on commercial set-ups, long-term coral husbandry in captivity, as well as coral propagation and techniques. He has worked professionally in the aquarium industry for 28 years.
Chris started his aquarium keeping journey at the age of seven with freshwater tanks and eventually sold his captive bred African cichlids to his local fish store. Prior to engaging professionally in the saltwater aquarium industry, he worked for one of the largest freshwater fish farms in Florida where he set-up a new holding facility and managed the stocking, sales, and shipping for their local client base. Since 2007, he has owned and operated ACI Aquaculture, a state-certified wholesale aquaculture facility in Plant City, Florida with his wife, Amanda Meckley. They both have over 25-years experience in reef keeping. Their wholesale facility is equipped with nine large holding systems equivalent to approx. 20,000 gallons. Five systems are dedicated to wild coral and mariculture coral imports. The remaining four systems are strictly dedicated to coral cultivation and house a large variety of SPS, LPS and soft coral species. ACI Aquaculture partners exclusively with public aquariums, wholesale distributors and stores across the country where their focus is providing healthy quality livestock to their customers.
Chris Meckley has collaborated with various industry professionals over the years. He has made numerous educational videos and has been a guest speaker on many live streams, podcasts, and local reef-clubs across the country. In addition, he has hosted educational tours at his facility for government officials as well as veterinary externs from the University of Florida IFAS Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory.