OKEEPODS Live ISOPODS

(SPHAEROMATID ISOPOD)

These IsoPods are Herbivores/Detrivores.

Herbivorous means: They eat micro algae,(green water). Scrape algae that grows on structure like live rocks and glass. Hair algae.

Detrivorous means: Scavengers.They also eat anything from decaying plant matter, fish waste, and left over uneaten food. They also eat bacteria.

Unique characteristic: They will roll up in a ball and play dead when threatened or scared.

This makes them a great cleanup crew for reef tank aquariums.

They have a highly nutritious profile. Containing Omega 3 – 6 fatty acids and many more powerful vitamins and elements to provide the healthiest diet for captive kept marine animals of all types.

Nauplii (babies) are harpacticoid (planktonic free swimming)

As they mature to adults they become more benthic (like to crawl on structure, but will also swim sometimes.

Newborn naupli are in the 100- 200 micron size.

Stages of juveniles are 1 – 3 millimeter size.

Adults get up to 6 millimeter,(1/4 inch) size.

A breeding colony can produce millions of baby pods per week.

Make an excellent micro cleanup crew. Also provides a valuable food source of live zooplankton for fish and corals.

They feed on nuisance algae, dead decaying algae, leftover food and fish waste. They will constantly be grazing on your live rocks & sand bottom. They love to set up their breeding colonies in macro algae. We have been aquaculturing these pods for a number of years here in Okeechobee, Florida. These pods are very prolific breeders. With a few of these in your tank they will multiply rapidly and spread out, producing thousand of nauplii and multiple stages of juveniles.

They make an excellent live food source for Seahorses, Mandarins, Dragonettes, Pipefish and many other fish that feed on live zooplankton. Use these to seed your reef tank and sump/ Refugium. Once they get established and breeding in your system you will have a constant supply of zooplankton to feed corals, and fish. If you already have Macro algae growing in your sump, these pods will establish a breeding colony in the macros and your pump will periodically suck some pods out of the sump and into your main tank:  scatter feeding corals and fish with live plankton throughout the day.

These are a hardy species that we have adapted through many generations of culturing to home aquarium conditions.