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Copepods

Copepods make up the crustacean arthropod subclass Copepoda. It is one of the most ecologically important groups of animals on the planet. This isn’t just because they are the most abundant animal species, nor just because they collectively make up the most biomass (which they do!). Rather, it is because most all freshwater and marine food chains ultimately lead back to them; this is because they are primary consumers, heavily grazing algae both from open waters and seafloors. In so doing, copepods transfer nutrients and biomass created by primary producers to predators higher up in the food chain. Just as these activities are so essential to the wellbeing of natural marine ecosystems, they are important in one’s saltwater aquarium.

 

Copepods benefit marine aquaria of all kinds in all sorts of ways. Most species, for example, make a great foundation for the clean-up crew. Their capacity for controlling detritus and nuisance algae is certainly impressive. As they grow and multiply, they become a highly nutritious live food source for an astoundingly broad range of aquarium animals. For example, as benthic types grow to adults, they are picked off of the bottom by small fishes such as green mandarins, six-line wrasses, etc. Larger planktonic types get picked off by zooplanktivores such as anthias. Tiny copepod larvae, which are almost universally free-living in the water column, serve as an excellent food source for many types of corals.

 

In this section, you will learn which type of copepod best suits your needs, how to add “pods” to your tank and how to keep a resident pod population flourishing indefinitely.

77 Posts

How EcoPods Helps Keep a Reef Tank Healthy

How EcoPods Builds the Reef Tank's Ecosystem In this post, we will discuss the major advantages that EcoPods can bring to your reef
Read More about How EcoPods Helps Keep a Reef Tank Healthy

A Closer Look at EcoPods

Recently, our friends over at Bulk Reef Supply filmed a product review on one of our bestsellers, EcoPods. If you haven’t watched the
Read More about A Closer Look at EcoPods

Ocean Pollinators

We have some very exciting news to share about ocean pollinators! Marine researchers in France have just released exciting news that
Read More about Ocean Pollinators

All about Tisbe pods

Recently, we have been hearing a lot of questions about the unique harpacticoid copepod, Tisbe biminiensis. Tisbe pods are a super
Read More about All about Tisbe pods

What Kind of Copepods do Mandarins Eat?

The Mandarin Goby is a very captivating fish. This fish is mostly prized because of its appearance. Its vibrant colors and patterns are
Read More about What Kind of Copepods do Mandarins Eat?

Galaxy Pods in the Ultimate Galaxy Pack

The Ultimate Galaxy Pack is our newest live feeding system designed to provide the most balanced nutritional profile. AlgaeBarn has put
Read More about Galaxy Pods in the Ultimate Galaxy Pack

How PNS YelloSno Works in the Ultimate Galaxy Pack

As reef keepers, we are all too aware of how intricate the ecosystems of coral reefs are. And at AlgaeBarn, we are mindful that every
Read More about How PNS YelloSno Works in the Ultimate Galaxy Pack

What Copepods are Best for the Reef Tank?

One of the most fascinating parts of this hobby is the colossal variety of creatures that will take up residence in the reef tank. This
Read More about What Copepods are Best for the Reef Tank?

How Often Should I Add Copepods to the Reef Tank?

A reef tank is a complex system with a lot of different components. All these moving parts must be fully functioning for the ecosystem
Read More about How Often Should I Add Copepods to the Reef Tank?

What are the Best Live Foods for Coral?

Many invertebrates need a consistent source of food to thrive in a reef tank. This is especially true for coral. While there are many
Read More about What are the Best Live Foods for Coral?

The Tank Booster Pack: Wholistic Reef Aquarium Balance

If AlgaeBarn is known for one thing, it is our focus on natural aquarium maintenance methods. Some of our products are designed to
Read More about The Tank Booster Pack: Wholistic Reef Aquarium Balance

A Closer Look at the Harpacticoid Copepod Euterpina acutifrons

It’s both strange and unfortunate that some of the most widely occurring copepod species on Earth remain rare in the aquarium
Read More about A Closer Look at the Harpacticoid Copepod Euterpina acutifrons

Mesozooplankton and Multivorous Food Webs

Mesozooplankton (e.g. copepods) are characterized as planktonic animals in the size range of 0.2-20 mm. They may be divided into
Read More about Mesozooplankton and Multivorous Food Webs

Feeding Your NPS Aquarium

Photosynthetic corals dominate natural, shallow tropical coral reefs. So it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that they are so
Read More about Feeding Your NPS Aquarium

A green spot Mandarin

Quarantining Your Mandarin Fish

If you have even worked at the retail or wholesale end of the aquarium fish industry--even for just a week--you are probably keenly
Read More about Quarantining Your Mandarin Fish

5 Fish for the Refugium

For a lot of people, a refugium is an opportunity to keep an “extra” tank. This doesn’t necessarily mean more of the same; in fact, the
Read More about 5 Fish for the Refugium

Upgrading to the ULTIMATE Ecopack

Pods. Phyto. At AlgaeBarn, these are the bread and butter of the reef aquarium diet. And for sure, these two items form the base of
Read More about Upgrading to the ULTIMATE Ecopack

Upgrading to the ULTIMATE Refugium Starter Pack

You might be setting up a brand-new reef tank. Maybe you’re doing some upgrades to an existing aquarium. Either way, you’ll have a lot
Read More about Upgrading to the ULTIMATE Refugium Starter Pack

Do Corals Really Eat Plankton?

It’s hard to say for sure which came first for reef aquarists--the emergence of high-quality coral foods, or the realization that
Read More about Do Corals Really Eat Plankton?

Natural Water Quality Management for Non-Photosynthetic Reef Aquaria

There was once a time when zooxanthellate corals (especially SPS corals) were considered impossible to keep in captivity. Then
Read More about Natural Water Quality Management for Non-Photosynthetic Reef Aquaria

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