Ocean Prime Copepods 500 – 700 um

Ocean Prime Copepods deliver live, nutrient-dense zooplankton that many marine species depend on during part or all of their life cycle.

Copepods are a type of tiny crustacean zooplankton that is considered as the world’s largest bio-resource. Most aquatic species are dependent of copepods during parts of or their whole life cycle. They are eaten by fishes, larval fishes, corals, jellyfish, shrimps, filter feeders and many more.

Ocean Prime Copepods have a nutritional profile that meets the requirements of fish, crustaceans, invertebrates and corals. The typical lipid content is 10-15%, and a protein content of about 50% of dry weight. The lipids are rich in essential fatty acids as DHA and EPA bound to phospholipids and also contain high levels of pigments like astaxanthin.

Ocean Prime Copepods are harvested in clean, unpolluted Arctic waters, with eco-friendly harvesting methods. The preservation technique involves no harmful additives which makes the nutritional quality far better compared to frozen feed. Ocean Prime Copepods are 100% clean. Needs no pre-rinsing before use. The product is sterilized for bio-security and sealed, minimizing nutrient leakage. No added preservatives.

Suitable for saltwater and freshwater fish, corals, invertebrates and crustaceans. When used as a supplement feed, Ocean Prime will play a vital role in the coloration, growth and survivability.  Through its buoyancy, Ocean Prime has an excellent capture rate by reef invertebrates like corals and crustaceans, and fish also eagerly accept this unique food.  Ocean Prime can be used as a complete artemia / brine shrimp replacement.  By feeding your fish with a diet comprising up to 25% Ocean Prime they will reward you with increased immune-resistance, and enhanced sexual maturity.

Ocean Prime is available in 500-700 microns and 2mm size copepods. Each pouch contains 50 grams of whole / intact copepods.
After opening:

As long as the aluminum pouch  is closed, you can store the copepods at room temperature for up to 3 years. Once opened, you must treat the contents as a fresh product. Only use clean tools  (e.g. a spoon) and try to avoid cross-contamination. Close the pouch with a rubber band or bag clamp to keep bacteria and oxygen out and place the pouch in the refrigerator. Use the copepods within 1-3 weeks.

For smaller tanks or to avoid fishy smells in the refrigerator, it is better to store the copepods in the freezer. Empty the pouch make a bar or portions of the copepods and put it in the freezer. Use the copepods within 3 months.

Feed only as much as your aquarium will consume in 3-5min.

Technical analysis:

Average nutritional content of preserved plankton

Frequently asked question:
What are Ocean Prime Copepods ?

Ocean Prime Copepods are different species wild caught copepods from the arctic waters. They come in 50gr pouches and have a shelf life of up to 3 years. No added preservatives.

Are the copepods in Ocean Prime alive ?

No, Ocean Prime Copepods are not alive.

 Are the copepods in Ocean Prime (freeze) dried ?

No, Ocean Prime Copepods are fresh as you find them in the ocean.

 Are the copepods in Ocean Prime in a liquid or gas ?

No, there is no liquid or gas added. The liquid inside is all natural.

There are no preservatives added, how can it be, that they have a shelf life of up to 3 years ?

The preservation is in the way of treating the packaging after filling and sealing and  used packaging material.

Feeding Guide

The rule Ocean Prime give: feed only as much as the aquarium will consume in three to five minutes. That is the whole of their published dosing instruction — there is no millilitre-per-litre figure, because this is a food and not an additive, and the right amount depends on what is in your tank rather than how much water it holds.

How much of the diet it should be. Ocean Prime state that a diet comprising up to 25% Ocean Prime returns increased immune resistance and enhanced sexual maturity. Twenty-five per cent is the ceiling they publish, not a target — this is a supplement to a varied diet, not a staple to feed exclusively.

They intend it as a complete replacement for artemia. Ocean Prime say it can be used as a straight brine shrimp substitute, which is the honest way to think about where it fits: the food you were hatching or thawing, without the hatching or the thawing.

No rinsing, no thawing, no preparation. The product is sterilised and sealed and Ocean Prime specifically say it needs no pre-rinsing. Take out what you need with a clean, dry spoon and put it in the tank.

How to feed it so the corals actually get it. Ocean Prime is buoyant, which they cite as the reason reef invertebrates catch it so well — the particles stay in the water column instead of dropping to the sand. Turn the return and the powerheads down or off for a few minutes, disperse the food into the flow, and let the corals and filter feeders work. Turning the skimmer off for that window is worth doing too, or it will strip a good part of what you just paid for.

Who eats it: saltwater and freshwater fish, corals, invertebrates and crustaceans. Ocean Prime point out that most aquatic species depend on copepods for part or all of their life cycle, which is why the same pouch works for a reef and for a freshwater tank of small fish.

The storage rules are strict and they matter. Sealed, the pouch keeps three years at room temperature. Once you open it, treat it as fresh food: use clean tools only, close it with a clip or a rubber band to keep oxygen and bacteria out, refrigerate it, and use it within one to three weeks. If that is more than your tank will eat, empty the pouch, press the copepods into a flat slab or portions, and freeze them — frozen they keep three months. On a small tank the freezer is the right answer from day one, and it keeps the smell out of the fridge.

Pack Size

50 g net, in a sealed aluminium pouch. That is Ocean Prime's own figure and it is the only size they make this grade in.

What 50 g of this actually is. These are whole, intact copepods preserved fresh — not freeze-dried, not frozen, with no liquid or gas added and no preservatives. Ocean Prime are explicit that the copepods are not alive and that the moisture in the pouch is the animals' own. The published analysis puts water at 85%, so a 50 g pouch is roughly 7.5 g of dry matter; compare it against a freeze-dried food by dry weight rather than by pack weight, and against frozen food by how little of it you need per feed.

How long a pouch lasts. Longer than you would think, and less long than the pack implies. Fed at three to five minutes' worth, a 50 g pouch is many weeks of feeding for a normally stocked tank — but once it is open the clock is one to three weeks in the fridge, or three months if you portion it and freeze it. Portioning on the day you open it is what turns a 50 g pouch into three months of food instead of three weeks.

Both grades cost the same here. The 500–700 µm and the 2 mm pouches are both 50 g at the same price, so the choice is purely about mouth size and not about value. This grade is the fine one.

Returns & Replacement

Returns are accepted within 7 days of delivery, provided the item is unused and in its original packaging. Manufacturer-sealed items cannot be returned once the seal is broken, and sale-priced items are not refundable.

If your item arrives defective or damaged, message us on WhatsApp with your order number — or email us, if you would rather — and we will replace it. Approved replacements are delivered within 3 to 5 business days. Transit damage is covered by insurance on every shipment. If tracking shows delivered but nothing reached you, tell us within 72 hours, which is the reporting window Indian couriers allow. Damage caused during installation or use is not covered; replacement spares for such cases are chargeable.

Full terms are on our Cancellation & Returns page.