How to Feed Copepods

Copepods are a valuable source of highly unsaturated fatty acids, making them a preferred feed for many fish larvae and corals. Making sure that they are highly enriched is a basic knowledge that all reefers should know.

Cell size is important when feeding copepods. Nannochloropsis, Isochrysis, and Rhodomonas are all microalgae that are easily digestible due to their small size 4-6 microns. Feeding Tetraselmis and Chaetoceros can only be added after at least 7 days in order for the copepods to molt. This allows their mouthparts to enlarge, enabling them to consume larger algae. While copepods are in the nauplii stage, they do have the ability to take "bites" out of large cells like Tetraselmis, albeit not with the same effeciency as smaller microalgae like Isochrysis.

academic.oup.com/plankt/article/45/2/325/7021939. Accessed 03 May 2026.