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I SEE STUFF SWIMMING IN MY
TANK, ARE THESE COPEPODS OR AMPHIPODS?Amphipods are larger, and readily visible to the naked eye. They look like giant commas, they like to hide in the macroalgae. Amphipods are good food for larger fish.
Copepods are smaller, and come in 12,000 varieties.
Calanoid copepods have large, frilly antennae and like to stay up in the water column. Calanoid copepods generally get removed from home systems because they are very sensitive to strong currents and filtration.
Harpacticoid copepods are smaller, and will sit on the glass or live rock. These are the most common types of copepods found in reef tanks, because they spend part of their time up in the water column and part of the time on surfaces - meaning that they do not get sucked out by filtration. They are also a lot less sensitive to the buffeting from currents in reef tanks, because they have much shorter antennae and can cling to objects when in a strong current.
This picture illustrates the different types of crustaceans used as live feeds.
