A multi-species live copepod blend, cultured in small batches. They graze detritus and biofilm out of every crack and crevice your clean-up crew can't get into — and they're the one food notoriously picky eaters like mandarins and pipefish actually hunt.
Includes: 8 oz (237 mL) bottle of live, multi-species copepods — enough to seed a refugium or feed a display directly.
We're currently farming our first live cultures, so bottles aren't available yet — get in touch to be notified the moment they're ready.
Copepods do double duty: they graze detritus, biofilm, and nuisance algae out of spots your snails and hermits never reach, and they're the natural prey species that picky fish are actually wired to hunt.
Different sizes and habits in one bottle — some graze rock and glass, others hang in the water column as feeder prey.
Mandarins, pipefish, and many fry rely on live pods and won't reliably take prepared foods.
They get into cracks, crevices, and rockwork that snails and hermits can't reach.
Grown and bottled fresh in small batches, so what you get is dense and actively reproducing.
Add them to a refugium and let the population establish itself, restocking your display over time.
Packed to keep the culture calm and alive in transit, so it arrives ready to add.
Want the fuller picture? Read our guide to how copepods & live phytoplankton work together →
Copepods establish best with time and a low-flow, low-predation space to reproduce.
Float and drip-acclimate like any live arrival before adding them to your system.
A connected refugium with rubble or chaeto gives the population cover and room to multiply.
Dose live phytoplankton nearby to keep the population fed and growing.
Give it a few weeks before expecting a visible bump in your display — populations build gradually.
We're in the process of farming our first live copepod cultures. Want a bottle (or a standing order) reserved for launch? Drop us a line and we'll save one for you.