Are There Copepods in Your Reef? by Sean TajAre There Pods in Your Reef? Copepods are an integral part of nearly all natural marine ecosystems, and it’s likely that a large, stable population of copepods can benefit any reef aquarium. The surest way to establish a lasting copepod population in your reef tank is by seeding the aquarium system with a healthy, mixed-species starter culture. The benefits of adding pods don’t end there. It’s equally important to periodically boost an established population with supplementary cultures. Each addition of a quality mixed-species and mixed-life stage product, such as 5280 Pods, provides a surge of food energy to filter-feeding invertebrates (e.g., corals) and pod-eating fish (e.g., mandarin fish and seahorses). Moreover, new pods that escape predation contribute biomass and genetic diversity to your existing population, helping to ensure its long-term stability. [Copepods] How to Start a Population of Copepods in Your Reef Tank When receiving a copepod starter culture, it’s normal to expect a few dead individuals due to their short lifespan. A healthy culture will show signs of movement, especially under a bright light. Mixed-life stage products, such as Poseidon’s Feast, include both larger, visible adults and smaller individuals from earlier life stages, promoting rapid establishment of large, stable populations. After introducing a fresh culture into your reef, give the pods time to adjust. Some will inevitably fall prey to fish or other invertebrates, but many will settle onto the rock or substrate, feeding on detritus and avoiding predators. It takes 4-6 weeks for the first generation of pods to become visible, and it may take several months for the population to grow large enough for observable activity in the tank. Signs of an Established Copepod Population A thriving copepod population will result in various signs of improved reef health. Corals should expand their feeding tentacles at night, and small pod-eating fish like flame wrasses and scooter blennies will appear well-fed and active. You may also notice reduced microalgae growth, slower detritus accumulation, and cleaner live rock and sand. Despite these benefits, copepods can be hard to spot. They are small and tend to be more active at night. To find them, use a flashlight to scan the sand surface and water column at night. Look for tiny beige or reddish dots moving about. A microscope can offer even greater insight, allowing you to observe copepods of all life stages. Collect a water sample from the detritus during routine tank cleaning for observation. [Copepods] Copepod Starter Cultures: A Growing Investment The rate at which a starter culture grows depends on several factors, including predation and food availability. To minimize predation, introduce the culture at night or into the refugium, if possible. Growth also depends on the amount and quality of food available. Do you want your resident copepods to thrive? Feed them. While copepods will naturally feed on detritus and microalgae, most species also rely on phytoplankton during their planktonic life stages. Supplement their diet with a live phytoplankton product like OceanMagik, a live, multispecies blend that enhances copepod productivity. Many essential vitamins and fatty acids are synthesized by phytoplankton and transferred up the food chain from phyto to pods to fish and invertebrates. Learn more here. Adding copepods to your reef is simple. Purchase a quality live copepod product, introduce it at the right time and place, and wait. If your tank has detritus or film algae, and places for the pods to hide, a population will likely establish within a few months. Regular boosts will ensure that the population continues to clean the tank, provide food for other tank inhabitants, and thrive for as long as your system is running.
steve4 says February 7, 2019 at 7:17 pm If you get the copepods and the phytoplankton, should you combine them separately for a while before adding to the aquarium, to give the copepods time to eat? If you want to look at them under a microscope, will sucking up some water into a pipette pick them up, or are they too big to fit in? How do copepods do in brackish water (15 ppm salt)? Reply
Michael says July 3, 2019 at 3:37 pm Well worth the effort to establish a population, especially in a mixed reef. Reply
Compy Ginorio says July 3, 2019 at 4:42 pm Since the beginning of the setting I seed pods, I still see some at the refugium. And once I don’t see them I add more to the display and the refugium. They are great scavengers and my corals and fishes love them. It’s part of my biodiversity. Reply
Cole Presley says July 3, 2019 at 10:54 pm I feel like the 2 times I have added pods, they all just disappear lol I haven’t seen any but there has to be some in there somewhere Reply
Cole Presley says July 3, 2019 at 10:55 pm I hope the pods I dosed like a year ago are still in there doing their thing Reply
Cole Presley says July 3, 2019 at 10:58 pm I need to re pod my reef and start regularly dosing phyto Reply
Cole B Presley says July 3, 2019 at 11:00 pm I LOVE PODS – testing comment to see if it will work this time lol – love you algaebarn Reply
sally says July 4, 2019 at 6:01 am Oh man! This is great! I can see an army of little ant-like creatures swarming in the dark! Ocean Majik is the greatest too! ! Reply
John key says July 4, 2019 at 8:06 am This will be my next step for my tank. I need to get a good pod population going. Thanks Algae Barn! Reply
Steven Lombardi says July 4, 2019 at 8:27 am I hardly see pods out in my tank. I am pretty sure I have a healthy population the big ones are just picked off by my fish. Reply
Robert says July 4, 2019 at 3:15 pm Can I send you a media brick have you cut it open so I can see the bactira and pod life I have in refugium I do not have a microscope but so bad want to see Reply
Ryan mcmillon says July 4, 2019 at 11:32 pm I noticed a big difference since we dose the green stuff everyday Reply
Karen Johnston Nation says May 27, 2020 at 2:05 pm does dosing this cause higher nitrates and phosphates? i know that happened once I got corals and started feeding reef roids and occasionally mysis shrimp! do you think they could stay alive on reefroids which is zooplankton? I dont have a skimmer so some of it stays in my tank! Small 10 gallon’ I have a yellow clown goby that wont eat and I have noticed i am getting pods just from tank maturing but probably not enough to keep him norised. I dont want to spoil him though, prefer no pods and him eatting pllets like the 2 clowns do but i defiently want pods in my bigger system that has a sump and is almost cycled! Reply
Karen Johnston Nation says May 27, 2020 at 2:06 pm does dosing this cause higher nitrates and phosphates? i know that happened once I got corals and started feeding reef roids and occasionally mysis shrimp! do you think they could stay alive on reefroids which is zooplankton? I dont have a skimmer so some of it stays in my tank! Small 10 gallon’ I have a yellow clown goby that wont eat and I have noticed i am getting pods just from tank maturing but probably not enough to keep him norised. I dont want to spoil him though, prefer no pods and him eatting pllets like the 2 clowns do but i defiently want pods in my bigger system that has a sump and is almost cycled! Reply
ScottPletcher says July 5, 2019 at 12:46 pm Can pods be added during the first days of a new tank? Reply
david says July 6, 2019 at 6:54 am I just added some of your pods. Looking forward to my reef benefiting from them. Reply
angelyrojas23 says July 6, 2019 at 9:56 am Some of my pods don’t even hide on daylight and my fish hunt them down from my glass . Reply
Jeff B says July 7, 2019 at 2:05 pm I’ve been noticing fewer and fewer, need to order some more to seed my tank again. Reply
Yakov Elizarov says July 8, 2019 at 3:40 pm I was able to seed my aquarium and maintain with your product Reply
Tyler.gore.90 says July 8, 2019 at 6:34 pm I wish I had more of the knowledge that is in these articles when I started out in the hobby. Reply
Adam says July 8, 2019 at 8:54 pm Never really noticed a strong population outside of my refugium until I up-sized my tank. Kinda took me by surprise when I noticed my DT walls crawling with them. Reply
sdemarco62 says July 9, 2019 at 6:51 am Recently seeded my tank and will do so for the next three months. Hopefully that will give me a great starting off point. Reply
ReeferReefer says July 9, 2019 at 10:08 am Not sure if I need to reseed. Seems like my population is doing great. I think that adding phyto would help a lot though. Reply
WILLIAM WAHL says July 9, 2019 at 7:08 pm Pods are amazing! I like to have a variety in every tank I own! Reply
WILLIAM WAHL says July 9, 2019 at 7:08 pm Pods are amazing! I like to have a variety in every tank I own! Reply
zadok jollie says July 10, 2019 at 8:30 pm Thanks for the tips. These blogs are a wealth of information. Reply
Shawn Benton says July 11, 2019 at 7:32 pm Great to know. I think I have some. They are very small right now. Reply
Sean Simkins says July 13, 2019 at 4:11 pm Wouldn’t it be great if the numbers were trackable lol Reply
David says July 15, 2019 at 3:12 pm I have some in my tank that came in on rocks. They took a few months to populate, but I seem to have a lot now. I do wonder if adding one of your mixes would still be a good idea since I don’t know what kinds I have. Reply
Scott Chase says July 18, 2019 at 9:06 am I never see mine during the day but late at night they are everywhere Reply
Darell says July 22, 2019 at 9:15 pm I probabky should reseed some pods. Its been a while since i noticed and scurrying about. Reply
james says July 23, 2019 at 2:11 am Mine is very busy with all sorts of things swimming around don’t know if it would help or hurt my tank Reply
Tara Fuller says July 23, 2019 at 6:23 pm Was not sure what pods were until recently. I guess they are good. Reply
Tara Fuller says July 23, 2019 at 6:29 pm Wasn’t sure what they were at first when I seen them in my tank! Reply
Kelly Tompkins says July 29, 2019 at 10:23 am I have all types of pods, I have pods that eat pods. This article helped me to really understand them at a deeper level! Reply
Stacey says July 30, 2019 at 10:36 am I dropped 2 jars of posd in my fuge months ago and have a booming population. It’s awesome. I actually got into reefkeeping because of pods, I was raising them for betta fry and just decided to add more to the pod tank. Now I’ve got multiple tanks and fuges going. Pods are my gateway critter ? Reply
Brett says July 30, 2019 at 12:07 pm I used to have so many copepods they were all over my glass, now I only see my isopods. I might have to dose more Reply
CANDICE FONG says July 30, 2019 at 12:21 pm I always forget to feed the pods! thanks for the reminder! Reply
Melanie says July 31, 2019 at 7:55 pm Interesting watching them move around in the rocks. You can also see them at night if you shine a flashlight on the rocks. Reply
How hard is it to keep a refugium? Adding a refugium to the reef tank system can be a game changer for some reef keepers! Most experienced hobbyists agree that a refugiums’ natural Read More about How hard is it to keep a refugium?
The Ultimate Housekeepers We at AlgaeBarn love clean-up crew critters and microorganisms, so welcome to the ultimate housekeeping celebration! At AlgaeBarn, we are highlighting our Read More about The Ultimate Housekeepers
A Closer Look at Clean Sea Lettuce AlgaeBarn is committed to doing our part to help keep the planet clean and green. It's why we're talking about the ways we can keep a clean reef tank Read More about A Closer Look at Clean Sea Lettuce
