5280 Pods & OceanMagik Phytoplankton

Create and Sustain a Healthy Copepod Population!

Copepods require food that will fit into their small mouths and the staple of their diet will be phytoplankton. AlgaeBarn's OceanMagik Phyto Blend is a mixture of live Phytoplankton that will give copepods and amphipods everything they require for a balanced diet in your aquarium. 

Commonly overlooked as an essential part of any clean-up-crew, copepods have some of the smallest mouths allowing them to consume bacteria, detritus, and other microscopic organisms which will help maintain a balanced ecosystem within your aquarium, not to mention copepods make a great natural food source for fish that are finicky eaters. The 3 different types of copepods included with AlgaeBarn's 5280 pods include Tisbe, Tigriopus, and Apocyclops species that range from nauplii to full-grown adults and are known to thrive and proliferate quickly in home aquariums. 

Four Sizes Available:

• 16oz - 5,280+ pods & 16oz OceanMagik Live Phytoplankton
• 32oz - 10,560+ pods & 32oz OceanMagik Live Phytoplankton
• 64oz - 21,120+ pods & 64oz OceanMagik Live Phytoplankton
• 128oz - 42,240+ pods & 128oz OceanMagik Live Phytoplankton

5280+ Live Copepods for every 16oz Portion

Perfect for feeding to:

• Mandarin Dragonettes
• Seahorses
• Anthias
• SPS & LPS Corals
• Clams
• Juvenile Fish
• Filter Feeding Invertebrates

Copepods are an essential part of a saltwater aquatic ecosystem for many reasons and it is common to get them as hitchhikers in your home aquarium, but can be very hard to sustain their populations. In most instances, it is the adult copepods that are transferred as a hitchhiker and will be consumed pretty quickly, where the juvenile pods are commonly found hiding in your rocks nooks and crannies and will not be consumed nearly as quickly, giving them a chance to reproduce. It is common to need to supplement a phytoplankton food source for the pods, and using Ocean Magik Live Phytoplankton will ensure they have the proper diet to survive and thrive. 

Special Note - 5280 Pods contains a range of juvenile to adult copepods. Juvenile copepods are difficult to see with the naked eye upon arrival but are best for establishing sustainable copepod populations. This is because livestock does not consume the copepods immediately after you add them into your tank!

Adding Pods To Your Aquarium

Acclimating the pods to the tank is super easy and only requires matching the temperatures by floating the jar or bag in the tank for about 10 minutes. There is no need to match salinities or other elements before introducing them as they are pretty robust and will adapt quickly. They can be added directly to the display tank or a refugium and we prefer adding them at night when fish are less active allowing them to find a hiding place before being consumed. Removing any filter socks or mechanical filtration media is preferred for the first two days at a minimum. 

When we add pods to a refugium, we like turn off the flow through the refugium for 30 minutes or so and ensure there will be a porous rock or another pod-proliferation device, like the Clear Water Pod Hotel, making it super easy to transfer pods up to the display tank from the fuge. Some reefers prefer to let the pods hang out in their chaeto algae which works great, but can be a little more difficult to harvest the pods when necessary. 

How To Use OceanMagik

It is suggested to daily dose 5mL of OceanMagik Live Phytoplankton for every 20 gallons of tank water in your system for the first two weeks. That will help your system get used to living Phytoplankton being introduced and after two weeks you can adjust the amount up or down as necessary. We like to dose OceanMagik every day when we feed our fish since it convenient and the small phytoplankton is not actively sought after by the fish. There is no need to acclimate OceanMagik before dosing to your aquarium.

OceanMagik Live Phytoplankton Shelf Life

OceanMagik will give the best results if used within 4 weeks and should be stored in a refrigerator that is between 34°F - 40°F.

Copepod Species Included with 5280 Pods:

Tigriopus californicus - Packed with omega-3 fatty and amino acids, Tigriopus copepods make a nutritious meal for even the pickiest of fish. These Pods inhabit the water column and jerk around when they move, making them an easy target for your critters. Females will lay hundreds of eggs during their life cycle. They add to your "Clean Up Crew" by consuming detritus, invasive algae, and phytoplankton in your aquarium. 

Tisbe biminiensis - These small and hardy tisbe copepods tend to inhabit the cracks and crevasses of live rock and macroalgae. Hiding helps them to maintain their population in marine aquaria. Their nocturnal nature makes them a sustainable food source in your tank and keeps your fish entertained and "on the hunt". Tisbe copepods make for a highly nutritious treat for your fish, while adding to your "Clean Up Crew" by consuming detritus, phytoplankton and invasive algae in your aquarium. Think of these guys as the smallest mouths in your food chain.

Apocyclops panamensis - These hardy copepods are slightly larger than Tisbe pods and slightly smaller than Tigriopus copepods. This intermediate size makes them a healthy live snack for your finicky fish and coral. Apocyclops copepods are extremely nutritious with a very high amino acid and protein content. Apocyclops copepods contain high amounts of Astaxanthin which can enhance and brighten the colors of your fish and coral. These warm water copepods reproduce extremely quickly by laying eggs every 4-6 days, about twice the rate of Tisbe and Tigriopus! Apocyclops copepods feed on phytoplankton, fish waste, and other detritus in your tank, making them a critical part of any clean-up crew. As juveniles, Apocyclops copepods are benthic, staying hidden in the rockwork, macroalgae, and glass in your aquarium. As Apocyclops copepods mature into adults, they lay eggs before becoming pelagic and making their way into the water column. Once in the water column, they provide a sustainable and nutritious live food source for your fish and corals.

Phytoplankton species included with OceanMagik

Nannochloropsis gaditana (Non-flagellated Yellow/Green 1-5 microns) - These tiny green algae consumes several nitrogen waste compounds including ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. As a result, Nano helps if you have an overfeeding problem, if you are adding a new critter to your tank, or if you want to reduce the frequency of water changes.

Tetraselmis sp (Green Biflagellate 6-10 microns) - With a rich and varied amino/ fatty acid profile, Tetraselmis provides a very nutritional feed for your marine life. Large aquaculture facilities commonly use Tet, due to its highly nutritional makeup.

Isochrysis galbana (Brown Biflagellate 10-14 microns) - This complex brown algae is high in DHA and is also often used to enrich zooplankton such as copepods and brine. Dosing your tank with Isochrysis will also boost zooplankton and copepod levels. It will also help with the development, coloration, and resilience of your marine life. Oysters, clams, mussels, and scallops all love Isochrysis!

Thalassiosira weissflogii (Unflagellated Diatom 5-32 microns) - Thal is the largest strain of phytoplankton we offer. As a beneficial diatom, this algae consumes silicates, restricting the growth of harmful dinoflagellates and silicates. Cycle time is reduced by adding Thal to your tank!

AlgaeBarn's Alive on Arrival (AOA) Guarantee!

AlgaeBarn takes all the worry out of buying live copepods and phytoplankton online by going above and beyond to take care of their customers.

That’s why they guarantee every order we ship will be 100% Alive On Arrival or they will replace it free of charge. They will even cover the shipping on the replacement.

When your order arrives, be sure and inspect the contents to ensure everything is looking alive and well before you add them to your tank or put them in the fridge. AlgaeBarn gives 12 hours after delivery to make sure you are completely satisfied. If for any reason you decide something isn’t quite right, simply snap a photo of the unopened item(s) you would like replaced. Be sure to get the expiration date on the back label in the photo. After that, visit www.algaebarn.com/claims and submit the form. They will review the photo and have a replacement out for you faster than a six-line wrasse at feeding time. Once your replacement order is processed, AlgaeBarn will send you a brand new tracking number automatically.

So start giving your tank the love it deserves and order with confidence knowing that AlgaeBarn has your back.