Copepods | The Strains We Farm
What are they and how do they help my tank?
Copepods are often referred to as the “insects of the ocean.” While they are not insects but rather crustaceans, their morphology is actually closer to that of isopods! Copepods are split into four separate orders: Harpacticoida, Cyclopoida, and Poecilostomatoida and Calanoida. We fortunately only deal with Harpacticoida and Cyclopoida copepods.
So what are they?
Copepods are crustaceans that can go through up to 12 different life stages! They move from larval to nauplius larvae, then to copepodid larvae and finally to the adult stage. Copepods have an armored exoskeleton and typically a single median compound eye. As with other crustaceans, copepods have a cylindrical body with two antennae and can sometimes have tail like “rami” at the end of their appendages.
Why are they beneficial to my tank?
Copepods are beneficial to all marine life no matter the size or species. They contain fats and proteins at a much higher content than powdered or dried foods. Copepods are rich in DHA and EPA. These are essential nutrients to animals as studies have shown without them there is a greater risk of: sudden shock syndrome, poor visibility, poor growth rates and high mortality rates, along with infertility.
TISBE
Tisbe copepods are one of three copepods that we farm at New Dawn. It is the smallest amongst them, typically resting at under 1.0mm. They are small hardy crustaceans belonging to the Harpacticoida genus like Tigriopus. One of the key benefits to incorporating Tisbe pods into your tank are their ability to eat microalgae and high lipid & PUFA content.
PICKY EATERS
Due to the small size of Tisbe copepods, they are perfect for picky eaters(mandarin gobies, seahorses, filter feeders etc.), fish larvae, and filter feeders. We often get asked what we feed fish like mandarin gobies as they struggle to eat frozen food. We recommend both Tisbe and Apocyclops copepods due to their size and high nutritional profile. Different stages of life require different sized food, as some may be too big or small to be beneficial to your animals.
EPA AND DHA
Copepods are known for having high DHA and EPA percentages which makes them popular live food for fisheries.What are EPA and DHA and why are they so important to ocean life? EPA stands for eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA stands for docosahexaenoic acid. Both of these Omega-3 PUFAs are foundational for any living creature. Studies have shown that with a lack of these two fats, animals can suffer from things like; sudden shock syndrome, poor visibility, poor growth rates and high mortality rates, along with infertility.
APOCYCLOPS
Apocyclops are one of three copepods we culture at New Dawn. They are the intermediary between Tisbe and Tigriopus in terms of size typically at ~1.4mm. Unlike Tigriopus and Tisbe, they belong to the Cyclopoida genus. One of the key benefits to incorporating Apocyclops pods into your tank are their ability to eat a little bit of everything including:detritus, ciliates, algae, and bacteria along with their high lipid & PUFA content.
PICKY EATERS
Due to the smaller size of Apocyclops copepods, they are perfect for picky eaters(mandarin gobies, seahorses, filter feeders etc.), fish larvae, and filter feeders. We often get asked what we feed fish like mandarin gobies as they struggle to eat frozen and pellet food early on. We recommend both Apocyclops and Tisbe copepods due to their size and high nutritional profile. Different stages of life require different sized food, as some may be too big or small to be beneficial to your animals. Copepods are known for having high DHA and EPA percentages which makes them popular live food for fisheries.
EPA AND DHA
What are EPA and DHA and why are they so important to ocean life? EPA stands for eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA stands for docosahexaenoic acid. Both of these Omega-3 PUFAs are foundational for any living creature. Studies have shown that with a lack of these two fats, animals can suffer from things like; sudden shock syndrome, poor visibility, poor growth rates and high mortality rates, along with infertility.
SWIMMING
Apocyclops copepods are different from our other two species. As mentioned before, they belong to a different genus called Cyclopoida. They are known to be more active within the water column as opposed to their counterparts. They swim up in a jerking motion and let themselves fall in order to catch their food. This is incredibly eye-catching to any fish or planktonic eating animal in the tank.
TIGRIOPUS
Tigriopus are one of three copepods we culture at New Dawn. It is the largest amongst them, typically resting at 2.0mm. They are small hardy crustaceans belonging to the Harpacticoida genus like Tisbe. One of the key benefits to incorporating Tigriopus pods into your tank are their ability to eat microalgae, most notably dinoflagellates and diatoms, along with their high lipid and PUFA content.
EPA AND DHA
Copepods are known for having high DHA and EPA percentages which makes them popular live food for fisheries.
What are EPA and DHA and why are they so important to ocean life? EPA stands for eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA stands for docosahexaenoic acid. Both of these Omega-3 PUFAs are foundational for any living creature. Studies have shown that with a lack of these two fats, animals can suffer from things like; sudden shock syndrome, poor visibility, poor growth rates and high mortality rates, along with infertility.
EPIBENTHIC CLEANERS
Tigriopus copepods are known as harpacticoids, which means they are considered to be epibenthic organisms. This would mean that they mostly reside close to the bottom of the tank or within the rocks. They are not as active in the water column like Apocyclops which makes them a perfect addition to your clean up crew. Since they reside closer to the bottom of your tank or on top/within any sediment, access to food such as diatoms and dinoflagellates.
SOURCES
Copepods, 2021. Zooplankton.nl, https://zooplankton.nl/en/diversity/copepods/
Guillaume Drillet, Stéphane Frouël, Mie H. Sichlau, Per M. Jepsen, Jonas K. Højgaard, Almagir K. Joarder, Benni W. Hansen,(2011).
Status and recommendations on marine copepod cultivation for use as live feed,
Aquaculture, Volume 315, Issues 3–4, Pages 155-166,
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0044848611001736)
Hotos, G. N., Kourelea, E., & Fotodimas, I. (2022). Salinity Tolerance and the Effect of Salinity and Algal Feed on the Demographics of Cultured Harpacticoid Copepods Tisbe holothuriae and Tigriopus sp. from the Messolonghi Lagoon (W. Greece). JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, 10(11), 1663. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10111663
Jepsen, P. M., Greve, H. van S., Jorgensen, K. N., Kjaer, K. G. W., & Hansen, B. W. (2021). Evaluation of high-density tank cultivation of the live-feed cyclopoid copepod Apocyclops royi (Lindberg 1940). AQUACULTURE, 533, 736125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2020.736125
Raisuddin, S., Kwok, K. W. H., Leung, K. M. Y., Schlenk, D., & Lee, J.-S. (2007). The copepod Tigriopus: A promising marine model organism for ecotoxicology and environmental genomics. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY, 83(3), 161–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquatox.2007.04.005
Vilgrain, Laure, Frédéric Maps, Sünnje Basedow, Emilia Trudnowska, Mohammed-Amin Madoui, Barbara Niehoff, and Sakina-Dorothée Ayata. 2023. “ Copepods' True Colors: Astaxanthin Pigmentation as an Indicator of Fitness.” Ecosphere 14(6): e4489. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4489