Copepods for Sale in Australia
Copepods are the small crustaceans that live in the rockwork, sandbed and refugium of a healthy reef tank. They graze detritus and film algae, and they are the natural food for mandarins, scooter blennies and dragonets - fish that often refuse everything else.
Gallery Aquatica stocks live copepods, phytoplankton to feed them, and live rotifers, at our shop in Tingalpa, Brisbane. This page covers what to buy and why. If you want the husbandry detail - seeding, populations, keeping a mandarin fed long term - that is in our complete guide to copepods for a reef tank.
What we stock
| Product | What it is | Buy it for |
|---|---|---|
| Live Copepods | A live culture of mixed copepods. | Seeding a tank, or topping up a population a mandarin is eating through. |
| Live Copepods + Phytoplankton Pack | Copepods plus the live phyto that feeds them. | The sensible default. Pods with nothing to eat do not establish. |
| Live Phytoplankton | Live microalgae. | Feeding an existing pod population, and filter feeders and soft coral. |
| Live Rotifers | Smaller live food than copepods. | Very small mouths - fry, and some filter feeders. |
These are living cultures, so availability moves around. If you need them for a particular day, ring 0420 484 584 first.
Which should you buy?
Starting a population from nothing: the copepods and phytoplankton pack. This is the one most people should buy. Copepods added to a clean, new tank have very little to eat, and a bottle of pods on its own frequently just disappears. The phyto gives them a food source while they establish.
Feeding a mandarin or dragonet: pods plus phyto, and plan on repeat purchases. A single mandarin eats a genuinely surprising number of copepods per day. One bottle does not solve the problem - what solves it is an established refugium producing pods continuously, seeded and then kept fed.
Topping up an established tank: copepods on their own are fine if you already have macroalgae and detritus for them to work on.
Feeding filter feeders and soft coral: live phytoplankton on its own.
Give them somewhere to breed
The single thing that decides whether copepods become a permanent population or a one-off feed is whether the tank has anywhere they can breed out of reach of fish.
In an open display, fish eat pods faster than they reproduce. In a refugium full of chaetomorpha, they breed in the algae undisturbed and wash into the display continuously. That is why people who successfully keep mandarins almost always have a refugium, and people who do not usually end up with a starved fish.
If you are setting that up, see our macro algae and refugium page - a bag of chaeto and a light is the whole requirement.
Getting them to you
Live cultures are handled differently from dry goods, and how they travel depends on where you are. Arrangements for live goods are set out on our freighting and packing page. For a straight answer about your own address, email shop@galleryaquatica.com.au.
You are also welcome to collect in person from the shop in Tingalpa, about fifteen minutes east of the Brisbane CBD - see the Brisbane store page for hours and directions.
Common questions
What are copepods and why does a reef tank need them?
They are tiny crustaceans that graze detritus, film algae and leftover food. They are useful as a cleanup organism in their own right, and they are the natural diet of mandarins, scooter blennies and dragonets, which frequently will not take prepared food.
Do I need phytoplankton as well as copepods?
In a new or very clean tank, yes. Copepods need something to eat, and a tank with no detritus and no algae does not provide it. Adding pods without a food source is the most common reason a culture vanishes within a fortnight.
How many copepods do I need?
For seeding a tank, one culture is a starting point rather than a finished job - the population grows from there if conditions suit. For feeding a mandarin, think in terms of an established refugium producing pods continuously, topped up with repeat additions, rather than a single purchase.
Will my fish eat all the copepods?
In the display, yes, largely. That is the point of a refugium: a lit, fish-free chamber with macroalgae where pods breed undisturbed and then drift into the display. Without one, a mandarin will usually clear a tank out.
When is the best time to add copepods?
At night, with the pumps and skimmer off for an hour or so, poured near the rockwork. That gives them a chance to settle into cover instead of being eaten immediately or pulled straight into the overflow.
Can I buy live copepods online in Australia?
Yes. They are a live product, so availability depends on culture stock, and delivery is handled differently from dry goods. See the freighting and packing page or email us about your address. Pickup from the Brisbane store is also available.
How long do copepods live in the bottle?
Use them promptly. A sealed culture runs down on oxygen and food, so add them to the tank soon after they arrive rather than storing them.
Do copepods harm coral or fish?
No. They are entirely reef safe and are a natural part of the system. The small white creatures people notice on the glass at night are usually copepods, and they are a sign the tank is healthy rather than a problem.
Related
Read the full copepod guide for husbandry detail, or set up the refugium they breed in with macroalgae. See also invertebrates and clean-up crew and marine foods.