HOW ARE OUR COPEPODS FARMED?

At our Edmonton-based Coral Farm, we take great pride in our sustainable copepod cultivation practices. Our copepods are carefully bred and nurtured, with their dietary needs meticulously addressed.

We grow a variety of live copepod species on-site, each having a specific live on-site phytoplankton we use to address the unique nutritional requirements of the different copepod species we farm. This ensures that our copepods have access to a consistent, high-quality food source, allowing them to thrive and reach their full potential.

For instance, the smaller phytoplankton strains are reserved for our Tisbe and Apocyclops copepods, as their diminutive size makes it challenging for them to consume the larger varieties. By closely matching the phytoplankton to the copepod species, we are able to provide a sustainable, enriching diet that supports the overall health and vitality of our aquatic livestock.

Through this meticulous approach to copepod cultivation, we are able to consistently deliver a hardy product all while minimizing the environmental impact of our operations. It's a testament to our commitment to responsible, sustainable aquaculture practices.

WHERE TO START 

In order to start off the cultivation process we first focus on sterilizing our items we use to ensure no cross contamination and a clean working environment. To do this we start off by pouring roughly two inches of isopropyl alcohol into a 3 gallon carboy. Following this, we fill the entire carboy up with hot water to ensure that the alcohol not only coats the entire carboy but gets vaporized in the process. 

The carboy is then left to rest for 5-10 minutes to ensure cleanliness and any particles left on the glass are removed with a sterilized scrub brush. The carboy is then emptied of the hot water and filled with cold water to return it back to room temperature. The cold water typically sits in the carboy for 2-5 minutes before we empty it again. 

Once the carboy is cool to the touch we add 1 copepod bottle (8 fl oz. or 236mL) into the carboy with 1 phytoplankton bottle (16 fl oz. or 474mL). Roughly 10,000mL of premixed RODI water (we use NeoMarine salt mixed to a salinity of 1.025ppt) is then poured into the carboy. Depending on the strain of copepods we use, different phytoplankton are fed due to both the copepod and phytoplankton size. Starting with our largest copepods, Tigriopus, we feed them our live phytoplankton strain Tetraselmis. Our intermediary sized copepods, Apocyclops, are fed Isochrysis and the smallest copepods, Tisbe, are fed with Rhodamonas.

The carboy is then transported to the farm area, placed in a well-lit location (42-watt LED lights) with a 12-hour daily light cycle, and maintained at a temperature of 25°C. Finally, we connect the airline tubing and introduce a gentle, rolling bubble to the surface of the culture.

This meticulous sterilization process, combined with the controlled growth conditions, allows us to maintain healthy, contamination-free copepod cultures for 2-5 weeks before harvesting.

BOTTLING PROCESS

Our bottling process for copepods is parallel to our phytoplankton bottling process but on a smaller scale. The process described above serves as a general guideline for establishing new copepod cultures at our facility. We follow a similar approach when cultivating from our live copepod cultures, with a few minor adaptations.

When the copepods are ready for harvest, we only take half of the total culture volume at a time. This approach serves three key purposes:

  1. It enables us to continue cultivating the remaining half of the culture, ensuring uninterrupted production.
  2. It minimizes the risk of the cultures crashing due to the disturbance of a full harvest.
  3. It allows us to provide a steady supply of copepod products to our customers in a timely manner.

To harvest the copepods, we first sterilize a siphon using the same protocols as the carboys. We then transfer the harvested copepods into sterilized bottles. Thorough sterilization at every step is crucial to prevent any potential cross-contamination during the harvesting process.

Once the harvested bottles are filled, we return to the carboy containing the remaining half of the culture. We add approximately 10,000 mL of pre-mixed NeoMarine salt solution (prepared to a salinity of 1.025 specific gravity). We rarely “change out” our copepod carboys as we have found they appreciate the build up in the carboys and use it for more food or a place to lay their eggs.The carboy is then transported to the farm area, where it is placed in a well-lit location (using 42-watt LED lights) and provided with 12 hours of illumination per day at a temperature of 25°C. Finally, we connect an airline to the carboy, introducing a gentle, slow-rolling bubble to ensure light aeration of the culture. Depending on the specific copepod strain, the cultures are left to grow for 2-5 weeks before the next harvest.



July 12, 2024 — Mitchell Ballou

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