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You are here: Home / Copepods / Benefits of Live Copepods / Copepoda: The Ocean’s Cornucopia

Copepoda: The Ocean’s Cornucopia

by Kenneth Wingerter

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 ecosystem. At the center of its ecological succession was a tiny crustacean—a copepod of the genus Apocyclops.

Copepoda like the Apocyclops very quickly became a keystone species in the Salton Sea; not only did it serve as an important intermediary between primary producers (e.g. phytoplankton) and larger consumers (e.g. fish), but it even helped to stabilize water chemistry by controlling boom-and-bust blooms of algae. By the 1950s this “sea” was ecologically developed enough (and its waters were sufficiently salty) to stock with marine sportfish species. These fishes fared well, no doubt because of the ample food supply (copepods, that is) for their larvae. But a surprise boost to the fish population came a few years later when tilapia were introduced to the area. Tilapia are well-adapted for filter-feeding and can exploit zooplankton both as fry and as adults. With a bountiful supply of copepods at hand, numbers of tilapia exploded. This change in ecological structure was not at all detrimental to the sportfish populations; to the contrary, with so many tilapia around to prey on, these larger fishes thrived as well (as evidenced by the usual tilapia found in their guts).

So, what is the lesson in this story? Copepods form the base of numerous and diverse aquatic trophic structures. They can be critically important even in artificial environments such as the Salton Sea and your marine aquarium.

The main reason that copepods can be found in so many aquatic habitats (almost all of them, really) is simply that there are so many kinds of copepods. Zoologists argue about the estimated number of extant copepods species. It appears that there are at least 8,000 copepod species in the subclass Copepoda, though some suggest that there may be as many as 20,000. The greatest number of these species (and probably the most ecologically important) are pelagic in nature, though many odd forms (for example, those that live as parasites on other animals) exist. While the largest copepod species (Pennella sp.) is a whale parasite that may reach a foot in length, the vast majority of Copepoda is comprised of those little bug-like things we aquarists are most familiar with.

[Copepods]

This massive group can be divided into three basic subgroups, namely the calanoids, the cyclopoids and the harpacticoids. The largest group, which is mostly pelagic and marine, is formed by the calanoid copepods. The cyclopoids (e.g. Apocyclops spp.), which are characterized by having a single eye (really a fusion of the two eyes), are a mixed bag, having both pelagic and benthic forms in all kinds of freshwater, brackish and marine environments. The harpacticoid copepoda most often live a benthic lifestyle as adults. For this reason, harpacticoids (e.g. Tigriopus spp. and Tisbe spp.) have been especially popular with aquarists as members of the clean-up crew and as food for various microcrustacean-eating fish and invertebrates ranging from corals to mandarin fish.

Aquarists might refer to all of the little specks floating or crawling around in their tanks by the blanket term “pods.” They really may be seeing a whole myriad of microcrustaceans including decapods, brachiopods, isopods, amphipods, and so on. But, as it is in the sea, these will most likely be dominated by copepods.

Copepods are not only numerous in numbers of species, but also in numbers of individuals. In fact, they are probably the most numerous animal on Earth. In many aquatic communities, they claim the greatest proportion of the total biomass. Easily accounting for 95% of the zooplankton in the world’s oceans, they have been given the term “locusts of the sea.” For example, in tropical South Pacific waters, certain species may occur in densities of 500,000-1,500,000 individuals per cubic meter. Copepod swarms can exceed volumes of 50 cubic meters. This means that the largest and most dense swarms can include numbers of as many as 75,000,000 individuals!

Their importance in marine food webs comes from the quality of nutrition they provide, as well as sheer quantity. Overall, they are nutritionally well-balanced and even come with their own roughage. But it is primarily their rich content of oils, waxy esters and essential fatty acids that make them so indispensable. As if that were not enough, copepods have one of the highest protein contents of all aquatic animals, which no doubt spurs the growth rates of those animals that consume them. Many of these vital compounds are produced only by plants (e.g. microalgae), but are passed along the food chain as copepods eat the algae and then are themselves eaten by other creatures. And we are not just talking about little fishes here; even some sharks and whales rely on copepods as their principle food source.

Aside from their great abundance and excellent nutritional profile, copepods have even another trait that makes them useful as a food for a wide range of animals. Their development is indirect. This means that they undergo many different stages before reaching adulthood. During this transition, an individual may change significantly in terms of size, shape and even behavior. The many forms they take during development make them acceptable as food for a larger number of predators. For example, a sea fan might feed on tiny larval Tisbe copepoda as they float about in the water column, whereas a small fish such as a six-line wrasse might pick larger, mature individuals from rock surfaces.

So, while those little specks in your tank may not look like much to the naked eye, they arguably might be the most ecologically important, and even interesting, living things in the system. Copepods are a major component of aquatic biological communities—artificial or otherwise—and naturally promote the growth, development, health and coloration of all animals that feed on them. Being as they are the foundation of most natural food webs, they should certainly be present in any marine aquarium.

 

[Copepods]

References

[1] Moe, Martin A. Jr. The Marine Aquarium Reference: Systems and Invertebrates. Plantation, FL: Green Turtle Publications, 1992.

[2] Levinton, Jeffrey. Marine Biology: Function, Biodiversity, Ecology. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1995.

[3] Douglas Barnum, John F. Elder, Doyle Stephens and Milton Friend. The Salton Sea. Springer Science & Business Media, Mar 9, 2013.

[4] Wingerter, Kenneth. The Coldwater Marine Aquarium. Foreshores Publishing, 2016.

[5] Shimek, Ron L., Ph.D. “Copepoda: Up Close.” Coral vol. 10 no. 2, March/April 2013.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. ktompkins says

    October 25, 2019 at 6:07 am

    Loved the article! Pictures were welcomed! Thank you!

    Reply
  2. Christopher Burns says

    October 25, 2019 at 6:24 am

    amazing

    Reply
  3. SwiftNova . says

    October 25, 2019 at 7:37 am

    Very Interesting!

    Reply
    • Ernest Gray says

      October 29, 2019 at 10:42 pm

      nice

      Reply
  4. Brett says

    October 25, 2019 at 8:04 am

    Solid info! Love it!

    Reply
  5. barniebob says

    October 25, 2019 at 9:45 am

    Best micro organisms evaaaaa!

    Reply
  6. Jose says

    October 25, 2019 at 10:10 am

    I love pods, I seed them whenever I can for my future Mandarin Dragonet.

    Reply
  7. polygonreef says

    October 25, 2019 at 12:26 pm

    Love this!

    Reply
  8. LIZ DAVID says

    October 25, 2019 at 4:23 pm

    All I see is mandrin food!

    Reply
  9. LIZ DAVID says

    October 25, 2019 at 4:24 pm

    Cool

    Reply
  10. Liz McDaneld says

    October 25, 2019 at 4:25 pm

    Neat

    Reply
  11. Liesle says

    October 25, 2019 at 4:50 pm

    Huge fan and supporter of copepods.!

    Reply
  12. Jason Beguhn says

    October 25, 2019 at 5:10 pm

    I love these pods

    Reply
  13. Paul Worley says

    October 25, 2019 at 6:11 pm

    Pods pods pods

    Reply
  14. Jeffrey Lutz says

    October 25, 2019 at 6:56 pm

    I use copods in my sump ,there great.

    Reply
  15. casey moffett says

    October 26, 2019 at 9:18 am

    didn’t realize how many species of copepods there where

    Reply
  16. ignoandfrigi says

    October 26, 2019 at 9:33 am

    Amazing little creatures, and one that I desperately need more of cause I know from experience that mandarin dragonets eat so many of them I cant keep up with restocking lol.

    Reply
  17. seitzjh says

    October 26, 2019 at 4:05 pm

    very important

    Reply
  18. Jordan Hernandez says

    October 27, 2019 at 12:37 am

    I love copepods

    Reply
  19. Cody Gruber says

    October 28, 2019 at 2:56 pm

    Pods

    Reply
  20. Paul Kachirsky says

    October 28, 2019 at 3:08 pm

    Very cool!

    Reply
  21. Daniel Shyer says

    October 28, 2019 at 4:33 pm

    good info thx!

    Reply
  22. Liz Lynn says

    October 28, 2019 at 4:58 pm

    Pods are awesome

    Reply
  23. Charles miller says

    October 28, 2019 at 6:37 pm

    Cute Lil bugga

    Reply
  24. robert vice says

    October 28, 2019 at 8:53 pm

    I switch it up but usually get the 5280s

    Reply
  25. Nicholas Nevins says

    October 28, 2019 at 9:36 pm

    I plan on copepods being the first living organism in the tank

    Reply
  26. Dallas Tippie says

    October 28, 2019 at 11:17 pm

    I love these little guys!

    Reply
  27. chris13 says

    October 29, 2019 at 7:11 am

    There is something satisfying about having a chubby Mandarin, and pods make it possible!

    Reply
  28. Wilfredo Robles says

    October 29, 2019 at 9:28 am

    i can see them specially at night on the glass

    Reply
  29. Nick says

    October 29, 2019 at 2:05 pm

    Oh holy cow!!!

    Reply
  30. Nick says

    October 29, 2019 at 2:23 pm

    Nice

    Reply
  31. Timothy Shaner says

    October 29, 2019 at 2:34 pm

    I love copepods lol

    Reply
  32. Mike Howell says

    October 29, 2019 at 5:05 pm

    Looks like a way to improve any system

    Reply
  33. krautzm says

    October 29, 2019 at 8:22 pm

    I have used copepods from algae barn in all of my sumps. I love to watch them

    Reply
  34. Ernest Gray says

    October 29, 2019 at 10:42 pm

    nice

    Reply
  35. Jay Gray says

    October 29, 2019 at 10:43 pm

    Interesting Read

    Reply
  36. Elliot says

    October 30, 2019 at 6:36 am

    These are a must

    Reply
  37. Jordan says

    October 30, 2019 at 10:22 am

    Pods pods.

    Reply
  38. Mark Valentino says

    October 30, 2019 at 11:41 am

    Just ordered my 1st batch of pods from you guys.

    Reply
    • greg.chernoff says

      October 30, 2019 at 11:45 am

      Thank you for choosing Algaebarn!

      Reply
  39. Ro Vance says

    October 30, 2019 at 2:34 pm

    Such amazing little creatures!

    Reply
  40. Ro Vance says

    October 30, 2019 at 2:35 pm

    Pods are the best!

    Reply
  41. Rose Salazar says

    October 31, 2019 at 9:51 am

    Love reading these interesting facts .

    Reply
  42. art anderson says

    October 31, 2019 at 5:07 pm

    nice

    Reply
  43. Ashton says

    October 31, 2019 at 7:30 pm

    Very interesting read, and I appreciate the references. Though I would have found them more helpful if they were cited in the paragraphs themselves so I knew exactly what was being referenced and when. Might also have to check our your book as well.

    Reply
  44. Jerry Pearson says

    October 31, 2019 at 7:37 pm

    Hoping to get a pod population going soon.

    Reply
  45. superiorislandservices says

    October 31, 2019 at 7:50 pm

    Really great info. Bookmarked!

    Reply
  46. Jay Gray says

    November 1, 2019 at 9:20 am

    Always add copepods to my tanks

    Reply
  47. Jay Gray says

    November 1, 2019 at 9:21 am

    Love Copepods

    Reply
  48. CHRISTOPHER MICHEL says

    November 1, 2019 at 10:29 am

    love it

    Reply
  49. Charles says

    November 1, 2019 at 9:42 pm

    Great info!!! Can’t have enough pods.

    Reply
  50. sabbath2 says

    November 3, 2019 at 7:29 am

    Good read.

    Reply
  51. btmedic04 says

    November 3, 2019 at 9:11 am

    I always put pods in before I put fish to give them a chance to seed the tank

    Reply
  52. Esther says

    November 3, 2019 at 7:37 pm

    Copepods for the win!

    Reply

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