Reefalicious Live Copepods

• Live, not frozen – copepods arrive alive and go straight into your system, with no thawing or rehydrating.
• Self-sustaining – a healthy sump or refugium lets the population reproduce, building an ongoing food source rather than a one-off feed.
• Targets fussy eaters – copepods are what draws out mandarin dragonets, scooter blennies and other species that ignore flake and pellet food.
• High in protein and essential fatty acids, per Reefalicious, making them a nutrient-dense addition alongside prepared foods.
• Doubles as clean-up crew – copepods graze on diatoms and detritus in the sand bed and rockwork.

All four are sold in 250 mL and 500 mL bottles and are stored and shipped the same way – refrigerated, and used promptly after arrival.

Shake or swirl the bottle gently, then tip the entire contents into your sump, refugium or display tank – ideally at lights-out, when fish are less likely to strip out the whole dose before it disperses. Dose regularly (weekly is a common starting point) to build and maintain a self-sustaining population rather than treating it as a single one-off feed.

Suitable for: established marine and reef systems with a refugium or sump where a copepod population can build up; mandarin dragonets, scooter blennies, pipefish and other pod-dependent species.

Not suitable for: freshwater systems, or as the sole diet for fish that need more food than pods can provide in a small tank without a refugium.

Keep refrigerated and add to your tank as soon as practical after it arrives – copepods are live animals in a sealed bottle, and water quality inside the bottle declines over time. Check any use-by information printed on the bottle.

• Reefalicious Live Phytoplankton – feeds the copepod population you're trying to build.
• Reefalicious Live Rotifers – a smaller-bodied live food that suits fry and larvae pods are too big for.
• Reefalicious F2 Starter – lets you grow your own phytoplankton to feed the pods long-term.

As a live product, arrival condition is covered separately from standard warranty terms – get in touch straight away if a bottle arrives in poor condition. Otherwise the usual consumer guarantees under Australian Consumer Law apply.

Will copepods actually breed in my tank?

In a system with a refugium or areas of undisturbed rock and sand, yes – that's the main advantage over a one-off frozen feed. In a bare, high-flow display with no refuge, predation will likely outpace reproduction.

What's the difference between the 250 mL and 500 mL bottle?

Only the volume of live culture – both contain the same mixed pod population. The 500 mL bottle suits larger systems or seeding a bigger refugium in one go; the 250 mL bottle suits smaller tanks or a top-up dose.

Do copepods need feeding themselves?

Yes – an established pod population feeds on phytoplankton, detritus and biofilm. Dosing Reefalicious Live Phytoplankton alongside your copepods gives the population something to eat and breed on.

Is this safe with a mandarin dragonet already in my tank?

Yes – that's the main use case. A single mandarin can outpace what a small tank's natural pod population produces, so regular top-ups help sustain both the fish and the population.