The Mighty Copepod by LanWhen thinking about crustaceans many creatures come to mind like shrimp or lobster. And while your mind may be wandering toward an all you can eat buffet, there is another type of crustacean that isn’t so tasty to humans, but boy do the fish love them. I speak of the mighty (and tiny) copepod. Copepod is a blanket term to describe a subclass of the Crustacea family. There are many types of copepods and they are anywhere and everywhere there is water. Some species of marine pods are planktonic, or they drift in the currents like plankton do. Other species are benthic, or living and moving along the ocean floor like tiny little sea bugs. The one thing all pods do have in common though is the same basic body type. Copepods are part of the crustacean family and because of this they all have exoskeletons or outer shells (though they vary widely by class). They are also very small with the largest variety measuring at 1 cm. Most copepods measure at around 1 to 2 mm. When using live pods in a saltwater aquarium, they may look like tiny bugs floating in the water or crawling on the glass. Marine copepods feed off of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton, and in turn provide a food source for larger fish such as mandarins and gobies. Knowing that ornamental saltwater fish love and live off of pods, it only makes sense that a growing number of aquarium enthusiasts are switching to providing live copepods for their fish. Live aquarium copepods provide a wonderful food source for aquarium fish. The fish don’t have any; “I need to get used to this food” down time because live copepods are what they instinctively eat. And with the advantages of modern technology any aquarium hobbyist can buy pods online and have them delivered right to their door, with the next stop in the aquarium. So there you have it. Copepods may seem tiny and insignificant to us, but their presence is irreplaceable to our favorite fish. [Copepods]
theresa360 says March 6, 2019 at 4:26 pm I enjoy watching the copepods in my tank thrive. I’m happy to be able to feed my fish live food. Reply
jeffreyfelter says August 7, 2019 at 4:04 pm After reading this it reminded me I need some more pods. Reply
Tony Mutti says August 7, 2019 at 4:08 pm These are so neat. I love looking in the tank, after lights out, with a flash light, and seeing all the life. Reply
Martin Gundel says August 7, 2019 at 4:52 pm Pods are a requirement for my gobies and health in my system. Reply
James says August 7, 2019 at 5:25 pm reading. Can never seem to get a colony established but would love to. Reply
mikerosa1965 says August 7, 2019 at 5:49 pm I just ordered my first batch from you during your bogo sale Reply
Andy says August 7, 2019 at 6:16 pm I can’t wait to get my pod population thriving enough for a mandarin. Reply
Brandi says August 7, 2019 at 7:07 pm I love having copepods in my tank. If you turn off the lights and even cover LED’s and give you eyes about 10 minutes to adjust to the total darkness, you sill start to see some of them fluoresce. It’s really cool to see bioluminescence in your own home! Reply
ANDREW WELSH says August 7, 2019 at 7:55 pm Have an ok population in one tank but tons in another Reply
David says August 7, 2019 at 8:27 pm My fish always love to snack on copepods. Just wish I could keep up with the demand. Reply
darksorcerer0530 says August 7, 2019 at 8:55 pm I struggled with setting up a copepod colony at first, but now they are pretty essential for me as my mandarins love them! Reply
Marc Raupp says August 7, 2019 at 11:03 pm pods are the best. they clean your tank and feed your fish. whats not to love? Reply
garethb9 says August 9, 2019 at 11:03 am Need to add more to my set up, a refugium would help massively Reply
Max Williquette says August 9, 2019 at 2:16 pm So many benefits to good pods, and AlgeaBarn is the best source I have found! My seahorses and mandarin love them! Reply
anxsar says August 9, 2019 at 10:19 pm Going to be setting up my own pod farm for my stuff.. Thanks for the information you provide, it is invaluable Reply
John key says August 12, 2019 at 7:21 am I don’t think pods are emphasized enough in this hobby. I like to have a variety of different pods in my tank. Reply
Derek says August 13, 2019 at 6:23 am One of the best parts of our tanks is watching the mandarins swim around hunting pods! Love it! Reply
Bennett Sheppard says August 13, 2019 at 11:05 am I love having Mandarins and strive to keep enough live copepods in the tank. Reply
btack206 says August 18, 2019 at 3:13 pm We use both live and frozen copepods. One as a food source for our fish and the other to help keep the tank healthy. Reply
Wendy says August 19, 2019 at 7:04 pm You can trust what they tell you. (how refreshing) it’s not just a sales plug. Reply
Branden Hess says August 19, 2019 at 9:20 pm Love these. Are basically a must have for your tank. Reply
zadok jollie says August 24, 2019 at 2:30 pm Having a good copepod population is great for fish and coral. Thanks algae barn for providing mine. Reply
stoph70 says August 20, 2019 at 8:12 am The pods are the most underestimated item in terms of importance for the aquarium. Reply
ian m mahoney says August 20, 2019 at 11:11 am I seeded my system with pods from Algae Barn 2.5 years ago and my tanks thrived, the so called expert level fish like the Mandarin have been the easiest fish pair I’ve ever owned. 2 years and have never had to feed or do anything as the pods reproduce in their millions in the refug, just need to seed heavy the first 6 months. Reply
greg.chernoff says August 20, 2019 at 11:21 am Awesome to hear! Please when you get a chance post up a picture of your tank on our facebook or instagram pages! We love to see fat happy mandarins 😀 Reply
Dylan says August 26, 2019 at 8:43 pm My pods are keeping my copperband and leopard wrasses happy. Love them! Reply
Ricardo Munoz says August 27, 2019 at 2:15 pm Agreed, sometimes my clowns don’t seem to eat much but at random times I see them munching on pods. Reply
Josh Lassiter says September 3, 2019 at 7:16 pm I just seeded my tank with copopods a week ago and already I see them thick on my tank glass. Reply
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