Zooplankton is a mixture of live copepods and live rotifers.
What Are Copepods?
Copepods are small crustaceans that can be used as live food for saltwater aquarium fishes, corals and other invertebrates.
Why don't sell larger bottles of live zooplankton like other companies?
We strain our live zooplankton down into small bottles so you always have a healthy concentrated bottle of copepods & rotifers . Other companies supply larger bottles but they cost more to ship and what you are paying for is just water.
Who Should Use Copepods?
Almost any marine aquarium will benefit from the addition of copepods, but tanks with mandarin fishes, anthias and seahorses may well require the regular addition of copepods for optimal results. Aquarists that maintain refugia as a part of their overall system should definitely add copepods directly to their refugium on a regular basis.
How To Use Copepods?
We ship our zooplankton in a 100ml bottle. To add them to your system, simply pour the bottle directly into the Aquarium. If a refugium is present, it may be best to add at least some of the copepods to the refugium where they will not be eaten. If no refugium is present, the aquarist may add all of the copepods directly to the sump (consider shutting off the protein skimmer for a time if one is present). If the system does not have a refugium or a sump, consider adding at least some of the copepods when the aquarium lights are off.
Which Copepods Do You Stock?
We stock Harpacticoids copepods (Tigriopus Californicus) which are the most commonly available copepods on the market today. They are substrate-dwelling copepods (“benthic" copepods). They feed on microalgae, detritus and even flake fish food. Some harpacticoids are cannibalistic and will eat other copepods if no other food source is present in the aquarium. Because of its size and abundance, this species of copepod (Tigriopus Californicus) is garded as the insect of the sea.
This creature is generally very small, from 1-3 mm in size as adults. They are cylindrically shaped, and have a segmented body (head, thorax, abdomen) though no noticeable division between body regions (Powlik 1966). Each segment of the body has a pair of legs. They use their 'legs' to propel themselves through the water in short rapid jerks. They have 2 pairs of long feathered antennae, a chitin us exoskeleton and a single eye in the middle of their head, this simple eye can only differentiate between light and dark. Why
Can't I See Copepods In My Aquarium?
Over time, the population of the copepods in your aquarium will decline as they are grazed by the corals, anemones, fish and shrimp in the tank. How Do Copepods Help My Aquarium? As well as being an excellent food source for finicky fish eaters, they are "detritivores", meaning they will scavenge leftover fish food, fish poop, and bacteria in the tank. They can help control the water quality by eating the unused food which can eventually lead to bacteria overload in your tank. When you receive your copepods you don't have to use them straight away as they will store in your fridge for up to 6-8 weeks.
What Are Rotifers?
Rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis) are very tiny animals measuring between 130-200 micrometers. Rotifers are often raised as food for live corals and fish larvae. They are the ideal starter food for species of fish such as clownfish fry which have tiny larvae with very, very tiny mouths.
Who Should Use Rotifers?
Almost any marine aquarium will benefit from the addition of rotifers, Their size and excellent nutritional value (50% to 65% protein) make them the perfect live food for all (freshwater and marine) fry, anemones, sponges.
Which Strain Of Rotifers Are Included?
We stock (Brachionus plicatilis) which is the "L" strain which range in size from 150-360 microns. Our rotifers cultured in saltwater with a specific gravity of 1.019.
