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Help Create a Healthy Copepod Population
Copepods are an incredible overlooked part of the reef system, but they play a vital role in the cleanup crew and general biological diversity. Copepods 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 4 different types of copepods included with AlgaeBarn's Ecopods pods include Tisbe, Tigriopus, Apocyclops, and Oithona species that range from nauplii to full-grown adults and are known to thrive and proliferate quickly in home aquariums.
Four Sizes Available:
- 16oz (approx 7,000 pods)
- 32oz (approx 14,000 pods)
- 64oz (approx 28,000 pods)
- 128oz (approx 56,000 pods)
Approximately 7000 Live Copepods for every 16oz Portion
Perfect for feeding to:
- Mandarin Dragonettes
- Seahorses
- Anthias
- NPS, 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 by your tanks inhabitants, 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 - EcoPods 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 juvenile 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.
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.
Oithona colcarva
These are hardy, marine cyclopoid copepods that generally live in shallow nearshore waters. As this species produces a very small (45 micron) nauplii and appears to have a rather weak escape response, it is well-suited as a feed for a wider range of coral species including many soft corals. Oithona is more difficult to find in the trade than the above species, but it is quite beneficial!
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.
| SKU | EcoPods - 4 Species - AlgaeBarn |
|---|---|
| Aquarium Type | Saltwater |
Product Questions
When it comes to copepods, I would recommend going with the smaller size bottle if you're just introducing them to your system. Copepods will reproduce quickly, reaching a peak population in 14-20 days depending on the species. That being said, if you add a large amount of copepods, they will typically die back to a population size that your tank can support. However if you need to feed a mandarin or pipefish, starting with a larger amount will ensure the fish have food right away too.
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