Copepods - first time dosing /w a question

[RaymondL]

Hi all: my tank is just past 2.5 years old and I never added copepods before. If I purchase a bottle and dump the entire contents in the tank, do I need to feed Phytoplankton from time to time, or can the copepods feed on whatever is in the tank?

 

[exnisstech]

I think it's recommended from what I've read but I have to admit I've never dosed pods or phyto to feed them yet I still have pods in all if my tanks.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

They will reproduce if you don't add phyto, but the pod population will grow/shrink to fit the available food in your tank. So by adding phyto, it ensures more food for larger pod population

 

[BonnieB]

To add to this, if you have a fish, like Mandarin, who eats thousands of pods, you’ll want to be adding daily phyto to encourage growth and reproduction. You would also need to be adding pods (how often depends on growth and who in your tank is eating through them!) to ensure a good population continues!