Frequently Asked Questions About Our Live Reef Foods

In the process of researching and culturing our Clean Chaeto, we came upon a surprising discovery - there are actually two main variants of chaetomorpha macroalgae. The late Jake Adams of Reefbuilders had made the same discovery - he called them the "brillo" and "fine" varieties. The most common variant found in the hobby, and the one you likely tried to grow, is the "brillo" variety. It's much more difficult to grow and much less forgiving.

The "fine" variant that we sell is an extremely fast grower and is quite forgiving of water conditions, flow, and lighting. There's a very good chance you'll succeed with our Clean Chaeto!

This is perfectly fine. You should always store your live phytoplankton in the refrigerator, but it can survive periods of warmer temperatures (after all, it's cultured at room temperature).

If your phytoplankton gets warm in transit, it could decrease the lifespan. Always smell your phytoplankton before using, and if it smells like "death" or "skimmate" then it's starting to go bad. If it's been less than two months since you bought it, just contact us and we'll replace the unused phytoplankton free of charge. That's all part of the Dinkins Difference!

Always store your live phytoplankton in the refrigerator, as close to 34 degrees as possible. Phytoplankton is essentially a single-celled plant, and cold temperatures induce dormancy to ensure your phytoplankton remains good for as long as possible. Shake your phytoplankton every day or two to prevent settling, which can "smother" the phytoplankton cells.

Stored properly, your phytoplankton should last two months in the fridge. If it begins to freeze, that's not a problem, just move it to a warmer part of the fridge. Phytoplankton that freezes solid will still have nutritional value but the cells will no longer be alive.

Our live phytoplankton usually smells like grass or ocean. Sometimes it can smell even stronger, like cooked broccoli or crab. This is completely normal.

Phytoplankton that has gone bad will smell like rotten skimmate or like rotten eggs. It should be discarded immediately, and if you purchased it within the last month, email us so we can replace it free of charge. Our live phytoplankton is guaranteed to last at least two months in the refrigerator - that's part of the Dinkins Difference!

If you're still uncertain, remove the lid for about an hour to give the smell time to lessen, then check again.

We'll replace your live phytoplankton completely free of charge if it goes bad within the first two months - that's part of the Dinkins Difference!

All you have to do is contact us; we'll take it from there!

Live phytoplankton dosage recommendations vary depending on your reef tank. Check our live phytoplankton dosing guide for specific suggestions based on your actual needs.

Live phytoplankton is the basic building block of all nutrition in the ocean. It provides nutrients to maximize the growth, coloration, and polyp extension of your corals. Phytoplankton also feeds the copepods, amphipods, feather dusters, clams, and other "filter-feeders" in your tank.

Live phytoplankton is a food, and as such we recommend that you dose your reef tank daily. If you're happy with the results, you will want to continue using phytoplankton indefinitely.

This is perfectly fine. You should always store your live phytoplankton in the refrigerator, but it can survive periods of warmer temperatures (after all, it's cultured at room temperature).

If your phytoplankton stays warm for too long, that could decrease its lifespan. Always smell your phytoplankton before using, and if it smells like "death" or "skimmate" then it's starting to go bad. If it's been less than two months since you bought it, just contact us and we'll replace the unused phytoplankton free of charge. That's all part of the Dinkins Difference!

If you poured in the entire bottle of live phytoplankton all at once, don't be alarmed! It's impossible to overdose our phytoplankton. Your tank will be green and hazy for a day or so, but none of the tank inhabitants will be harmed. Within a day, your protein skimmer, corals, and live copepods should remove the excess phyto from your tank.

That honestly depends on your goals for your reef tank. If you're looking for all-around biodiversity and detritus or algae control, then you'll need fewer copepods than if you wanted to host a mandarin goby.

Check out this guide to get a better idea of how many copepods you'll need and how frequently to order them, based on your individual goals.

The species of live copepods we sell are benthic, meaning they prefer to crawl on surfaces rather than swim freely through the water column. Live benthic copepods will typically cluster or clump on the bottom of a container and may appear dead. Here's how you can be sure that your copepods are OK:

1. Float the bottle in your tank or sump for about an hour to temp acclimate it. Copepods that arrive cold will be very sluggish, in a hibernation-like state. As they warm up, they will become more active.

2. Take the bottle out of your tank or sump and shake it. Give the bottle a minute to settle, then shine a light up through the bottom of the bottle. You should see tons of movement. (Probably half the pods won't move, as we sell copepods at all life stages, and juveniles are "planktonic" and simply drift in the water. They'll look like specks of dust.)

If after doing this you don't see much movement from your copepods, please contact us so that we can reship your order free of charge. As part of the Dinkins Delivery Guarantee, we unconditionally guarantee live delivery on all orders!

There are two basic types of copepods: some eat both live phytoplankton and detritus, while others only eat live phytoplankton.

The three species we selected to culture - Tisbe copepods, Apocyclops copepods, and Tigriopus copepods - all crawl on surfaces such as live rock and sand. They eat the detritus and nuisance algae that builds up on these surfaces, keeping your reef tank cleaner and more stable. We do recommend feeding them live phytoplankton to improve the health and reproduction of your copepods, but it isn't an absolute requirement.

We don't see any value in selling you copepods that will die without specific nutritional requirements. Instead, we sell live copepods that both feed your fish and help keep your reef tank stable by consuming unwanted algae and detritus.

Mandarin gobies eat a tremendous number of live copepods daily. Fortunately, with a little bit of planning, you can definitely create a viable and sustainable ecosystem for such a heavy pod-eater. We have suggested ordering quantities and timelines in this guide.

Live copepods fill a number of roles in your reef tank's ecosystem. They eat some forms of nuisance algae, consume detritus, and promote stability in your reef aquarium. Additionally, copepods are extremely nutritious for your corals and fish. While they are not an absolute requirement if you don't keep a mandarin or other heavy pod-eater, they are priceless contributors to your reef tank's overall health and stability.

We have also developed a guide to help you decide how many copepods to buy and how often to buy them.

Live copepods will last about a week in their bottle. We do suggest adding the entire contents of your copepod bottle to your reef tank or refugium the same day you receive it. But if you need to keep it alive longer, simply remove the lid so the copepods can breathe.

Some people will see their tank surfaces absolutely covered with live copepods, while others will never see them.

Copepods are incredibly tiny - just a few hundred microns. While you can see them easily enough in our bottles, when placed in a much larger volume of water, such as your reef tank, they are going to be much harder to see.

The copepods we sell are benthic, meaning they prefer to crawl on surfaces rather than swim in the water column. Naturally, it's very difficult to see a tiny brown copepod on piece of live rock several inches away from the tank glass.

Sometimes copepods will congregate on the glass, but not always. They prefer to crawl over surfaces containing algae films and detritus; if you keep your tank glass very clean, it's entirely possible they will avoid it completely.

Finally, copepods do take awhile to grow in population. While they are fast breeders, it will usually take months before the population reaches the point where they run out of hiding spots in your rockwork and start migrating onto the glass.

Your best chance of seeing pods in your tank is to wait until lights out and shine your flashlight on through the side of your tank, illuminating the front glass from behind.

Back when live rock was harvested from the ocean and shipped completely wet, many reefers could get enough copepods from their live rock without ever having to buy any. With the move to sustainability, and most reef tanks being aquascaped with dry rock, this is no longer possible.

Some copepods will likely enter your system from frag plugs and given enough time, they certainly could populate your tank. Unfortunately, dipping corals to remove any pests will also kill the majority of copepods on the frag plug or coral. Some eggs will likely survive and eventually hatch, but not many. Not only that, but going from a handful of surviving eggs to the millions of copepods needed for a thriving reef tank is likely to take years.

As with so many things in reefing, you can buy less (or none at all) if you're willing to wait for nature to take its course. On the flip side, since copepods feed your corals and help maintain biological stability in your reef tank, you'll potentially be running at a disadvantage until that copepod population reaches "critical mass."

Your LFS likely only carries Tigriopus copepods, which can survive refrigeration for long periods. Shelf life is a really big problem for local fish stores. Tisbe and Apocyclops are generally much better for your tank and are most likely to create a self-sustaining population. Unfortunately, they can't be refrigerated* and therefore typically die in the bottle if left longer than a week. For this reason, many LFS won't order anything but Tigriopus copepods.

*You may have seen Tisbe and Apocyclops copepods in the fridge at your LFS. Some refrigerators, like wine fridges, can keep temps in the high 40s or low 50s. At those temps, Tisbe and Apocyclops will survive for 10-14 days. Your home fridge is much colder and long-term storage would kill them.

Probably not! Live copepods actually do really well in colder temperatures for brief a day or two. In the winter, it's common for copepods to arrive at your house quite cold, and still survive.

Copepods shouldn't be stored at low temps, but if you refrigerate them for a day or two, it likely won't hurt anything. It's not recommended, but once temp acclimated they will most likely be just fine!

While live amphipods perform many of the same functions as live copepods in a reef tank, they do have substantial differences.

Like copepods, amphipods are filter feeders who consume nutrients such as live phytoplankton from the water column. Amphipods also consume large quantities of nuisance algae and detritus, just like copepods.

Functionally, the main difference is that amphipods eat more than copepods and are therefore ideal for "dirtier" tanks, especially FOWLR and predator tanks. They also work well in mixed reef tanks, adding biodiversity and an additional food source.

Probably not. Live amphipods are absolutely ravenous, consuming any detritus they can find. If there isn't enough detritus and nuisance algae in a tank, they can begin eating copepods. This doesn't normally happen in a mixed reef tank; it tends to only be an issue if amphipods start running out of food. In extreme cases they can even nip at corals.

Live amphipods are extremely hungry creatures. They normally eat detritus, nuisance algae, and live phytoplankton from the water column. If there isn't enough food, they can eat live copepods. This is pretty rare and normally only happens in low nutrient tanks; mixed reef tanks, FOWLR tanks, and especially predator tanks tend to do great with amphipods.

Your live amphipods will arrive in a 32 oz plastic jar filled about 1/3 of the way with water. The jar will include a reef-safe nylon sponge that the amphipods will likely be crawling on and in.

Pour in the entire contents of the jar, including the sponge. After a day or two, all the amphipods will leave the sponge in search of food and you can remove it.

If the jar is cold and the amphipods aren't orange, then probably so. Live amphipods are strongly benthic; they will usually crawl into the sponge, but sometimes they'll cluster on the bottom of the jar.

Simply temp acclimate the jar by floating it in your sump. After an hour, put a tiny bit of fish food in the jar and they should begin to perk up if alive.

If they don't perk up, or if your amphipods are orange, your water is cloudy, or your water smells bad, discard the jar and contact us for a replacement. Every amphipod shipment is fully covered under our no hassle Dinkins Delivery Guarantee!