In terms of both numbers and biomass, the copepods (Subclass Copepoda) dominate the zooplankton oceanwide. These minute crustaceans are of immense value ecologically because they play a central role in the linear trophic transfer of nutrients and food energy as intermediaries between primary producers (e.g. phytoplankton) and higher animals such as fish. But it’s usually …
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.
Copepods: The Ocean’s Cornucopia
In 1905, an engineering mishap caused the Colorado River to flood a shallow basin over the San Andreas Fault in California. With evaporation rates that exceeded rates of inflow, the massive lake began to increase in salinity; Salton Lake was born. Soon, this artificially (and indeed accidentally) made inland sea would develop its own rich …
Eliminating Detritus in the Refugium
Ever feel like no matter how much time you spend cleaning your tank, it can never really ever get clean? Detritus build-ups can be especially frustrating as they seem to come from nowhere and seriously compromise the healthy and natural appearance of an otherwise beautiful exhibit. One solution is to construct the system in such …
Copepods
Imagine for a second how food energy from grass, a primary producer, is transferred to a bluebird. The bluebirds don’t eat grass. Rather, they consume grasshoppers—which certainly do eat grass. In this way every secondary consumer obtains life-giving energy and biomass from primary producers through an intermediate, primary consumer. So it is across the ocean, …
Tig Pods: A Food for Many
The reef aquarium hobby continues to reach new heights. This is most evident by the extraordinarily beautiful systems we see on display in public places, in images on social media, in advertisements, and even in some homes. These advancements have come about not only through improved technologies and supplements, but also through a better understanding …
A Copepod Cornucopia: How to Maintain a Continuous Live Food Source in Your Reef Aquarium
Some of us aquarists are satisfied just to find a pod or two in our systems—just to know that they’re still there! Then again, some of us are always reaching for that endless bumper crop. Those who push for ever higher copepod yields might indeed be on to something really big. Let Them Eat Pods …
Amphipods and/or Copepods: Can They Peacefully Coexist?
Detritus and algal films compromise the aesthetic appearance and environmental quality of any saltwater aquarium. For sure, they present some of the most serious (and frustrating) issues for an aquarist to contend with. The easiest and least expensive way to deal with these issues is through biological control. This typically involves the use of a …
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The Refugium: A Home for Your Pods
It just isn’t enough to say that a refugium is “a tank on a tank” or “a sump with some macroalgae in it.” When used to their full potential, refugia make for a far more dynamic—yet more stable—captive ecosystem. Though they are typically smaller in size than the main tank, refugia play a major role …
From Detritus to Delicacy: Using Harpacticoid Copepods for Natural Nutrient Cycling
Pretty much nobody wants their marine aquarium to be covered with filth and green slime. Yet, mulm and benthic microalgae show up (at least in some amount) in just about every system. This is normal to some degree. However, anything more than a patch here or there can be seen as a symptom of problems …
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How to Seed Your Reef Tank
Seeding (and Re-Seeding) Copepods in the Marine Aquarium It’s understandable—totally natural, even—to want to see what we’re buying when we are trying to seed copepods. In the case of live copepod products, however, the most important constituent (if present) cannot be clearly observed with the naked eye. Some products might contain lots of visible pods. …
Are There Copepods in Your Reef?
Are There Pods in Your Reef? Considering that they are an integral component of pretty much all natural marine ecosystems, it is likely that a large, stable population of copepods could benefit any reef aquarium. The surest means of establishing a lasting supply of copepods in your reef is to seed the aquarium system with …
Pod Size Matters: Feeding and Seeding with Copepod Cultures of All Life Stages
No matter how or when you do it, adding live copepod cultures to a reef aquarium has numerous benefits and absolutely no drawbacks. These tiny crustaceans provide an extremely nutritious, natural food source for a wide variety of reef animals ranging from gorgonians to mandarin fish. Additionally, if conditions allow for it, seeding can lead …
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Feeding the Mandarin Fish
For so many aquarists, the green mandarinfish (Synchiropus splendidus) is a must-have species. Its endearing personality, exquisite finnage and intense coloration rarely fail to impress. Given these highly desirable traits, it has for long been among the most popular marine aquarium fishes. Thus, many thousands of specimens of this species are sold in the ornamental …
Pods In Your Reef: Seeding a Marine Aquarium with Copepods
Benefits of Pods In Your Reef: Microcrustaceans (or “pods”) in general, and copepods in particular, are an integral component of aquatic food webs. This is so in virtually every marine environment including coral reef habitats. Therefore, pods in your reef are a healthful addition to any reef aquarium. Lucky, a handful of useful copepod species …
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Mandarin Goby Fish Care | Using Copepods to keep a Mandarin Dragonet
Mandarin Goby Fish Care 101: Foods and feeding are the foremost concern for any aquarist wishing to keep a marine mandarin fish (Synchiropus splendidus). Most critical in the diet of a mandarin is (1) constant availability of feeding opportunities and (2) food sources that are varied but primarily consist of enriched pods. If you get …
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Feeding Your Hungry Pods
Marine aquarists are really attempting to accomplish several goals when introducing copepods to their systems. These undoubtedly include elimination of detritus, controlling nuisance algae and providing excellent nutrition for countless reef fish and invertebrate species. But the general aim, of course, is to create a more dynamic and balanced captive ecosystem. After all, copepods are …
Exoskeletons, Roughage and Digestive Health
We humans, and most other terrestrial animals, benefit greatly from dietary fiber. Consisting of tiny bits of virtually indigestible plant matter (structural polysaccharides of glucose monomers such as cellulose, lignin, etc.), fiber serves primarily to help “move things along” as well as scour our intestines clean. Without this roughage to help move and eliminate waste, …
At the Top of the Bottom: Harpacticoid Copepods and Aquarium Substrates
There are quite a few options out there for marine aquarium substrate. From rubble to mud, aquarists have tried all of them. Many have even experimented with bare bottoms. It seems that the benefits of each substrate type comes with an equivalent number of disadvantages. For example, coarse types like crushed coral gravel resist being …
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The Hardy Copepod
The ocean is not always a hospitable place to be for an animal. This is especially so in the shallows, where unstable temperatures, extreme shifts of water chemistry and powerful wave action are commonplace. This is, however, where algae must be, as it is in shallow waters that sunlight is intense enough for photosynthesis to …
A Closer Look at the Harpacticoid Copepod Tisbe Biminiensis
There are many different reasons to add copepods to one’s marine aquarium system. Each copepod species has its own set of attributes that make it best suited for particular purposes. For example, some aquarists might need a smaller pod that reliably grows to large numbers by feeding on unwanted organic matter on the tank bottom. …
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