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Benefits of Live Copepods

Challenges are good. For most of us, the considerable trials of keeping a tankful of healthy aquarium livestock keep us interested and engaged in the hobby. That being said, some of the regular problems encountered by aquarium hobbyists can be quite intimidating; arguably, the greatest challenges of keeping healthy marine aquarium systems are (1) meeting the nutritional demands of finicky/specialized eaters and (2) controlling detritus build-up and nuisance algae growth. Fortunately, both of these constantly pressing issues are effectively approached with the use of live copepods.
Extremely nutritional and capable of reaching extraordinarily high population densities, copepods are nature’s consummate food packets. They range from important to critical in pretty much all aquatic/marine ecosystems, transferring nutrients and food energy from algal/bacterial primary producers up the food chain to filter-feeding fishes and invertebrates. Their role as trophic intermediaries is entirely replicable in captive systems.
Two major groups of copepods, harpacticoids and cyclopoids, both work well for these purposes in aquaria. However, the former work best as scavengers and the latter work best as a zooplanktonic live food. Even within each of these groups, different individual species work best as specific types of cleaners, food items, etc. Thus, a well-balanced community of “pods” seems to be ideal. Maintaining a large, diverse community of copepods is possible with (1) the availability of safe space within a refugium and (2) the regular, generous feedings of wholesome phytoplankton.
In this section, you will learn which species are best additions to your pod community as well as how to maximally boost pod productivity by installing refugia and feeding phyto.

48 Posts

All about Tisbe pods

Recently, we have been hearing a lot of questions about the unique harpacticoid copepod, Tisbe biminiensis. Tisbe pods are a super
Read More about All about Tisbe pods

What Kind of Copepods do Mandarins Eat?

The Mandarin Goby is a very captivating fish. This fish is mostly prized because of its appearance. Its vibrant colors and patterns are
Read More about What Kind of Copepods do Mandarins Eat?

What Copepods are Best for the Reef Tank?

One of the most fascinating parts of this hobby is the colossal variety of creatures that will take up residence in the reef tank. This
Read More about What Copepods are Best for the Reef Tank?

How Often Should I Add Copepods to the Reef Tank?

A reef tank is a complex system with a lot of different components. All these moving parts must be fully functioning for the ecosystem
Read More about How Often Should I Add Copepods to the Reef Tank?

What are the Best Live Foods for Coral?

Many invertebrates need a consistent source of food to thrive in a reef tank. This is especially true for coral. While there are many
Read More about What are the Best Live Foods for Coral?

Mesozooplankton and Multivorous Food Webs

Mesozooplankton (e.g. copepods) are characterized as planktonic animals in the size range of 0.2-20 mm. They may be divided into
Read More about Mesozooplankton and Multivorous Food Webs

Feeding Your NPS Aquarium

Photosynthetic corals dominate natural, shallow tropical coral reefs. So it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that they are so
Read More about Feeding Your NPS Aquarium

A green spot Mandarin

Quarantining Your Mandarin Fish

If you have even worked at the retail or wholesale end of the aquarium fish industry--even for just a week--you are probably keenly
Read More about Quarantining Your Mandarin Fish

Upgrading to the ULTIMATE Ecopack

Pods. Phyto. At AlgaeBarn, these are the bread and butter of the reef aquarium diet. And for sure, these two items form the base of
Read More about Upgrading to the ULTIMATE Ecopack

Upgrading to the ULTIMATE Refugium Starter Pack

You might be setting up a brand-new reef tank. Maybe you’re doing some upgrades to an existing aquarium. Either way, you’ll have a lot
Read More about Upgrading to the ULTIMATE Refugium Starter Pack

Do Corals Really Eat Plankton?

It’s hard to say for sure which came first for reef aquarists--the emergence of high-quality coral foods, or the realization that
Read More about Do Corals Really Eat Plankton?

An Overview of the Firefishes

Marine aquarists are blessed with a gigantic selection of beautiful fish species to keep. Among these, only some are peaceful,
Read More about An Overview of the Firefishes

What Do I Need for a Saltwater Fish Tank?

Whether scouting for your first aquarium, or “graduating” from a freshwater aquarium, there is something about a saltwater aquarium
Read More about What Do I Need for a Saltwater Fish Tank?

Why Larval Pods are Better for Seeding (Even If You Can’t See Them)

Copepods (pods) are essentially required for any reef aquarium. They perform three important ecological tasks: (1) Graze on benthic
Read More about Why Larval Pods are Better for Seeding (Even If You Can’t See Them)

When to Choose Poseidon’s Feast

Back in “the day,” to acquire a seed culture of copepods, aquarists would typically have to resort to scooping a couple cups of gravel
Read More about When to Choose Poseidon’s Feast

Corals in a Box of Water: Creating a Natural Reef Tank

We’ve come a long, long way in advancing natural marine aquarium keeping. Those of us who started out in the 80’s with barren
Read More about Corals in a Box of Water: Creating a Natural Reef Tank

Why EcoPods are the Best Live Copepod Product Ever

Earth is a planet of pods. Wherever there is water, there are amphipods, isopods, branchiopods, and so on. Pods are an integral part of
Read More about Why EcoPods are the Best Live Copepod Product Ever

a yellow banded pipefish

A Look at the Banded Pipefish

So many marine aquarium fishes can be exciting to watch; some are big and belligerent, some are beefy and bullish, some are lightning
Read More about A Look at the Banded Pipefish

The Whole Package: Integrating AlgaeBarn’s Kits & Combos

AlgaeBarn is hardly the only aquarium hobby-centered business to produce phytoplankton and macroalgae. But we like to think that we’re
Read More about The Whole Package: Integrating AlgaeBarn’s Kits & Combos

copepods and various planktons

Oithona: A Keystone Aquarium Copepod Species

In terms of both numbers and biomass, the copepods (Subclass Copepoda) dominate the zooplankton oceanwide. These minute crustaceans are
Read More about Oithona: A Keystone Aquarium Copepod Species

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