Amphipods are typically less than 10 millimeters long. They are among the more beneficial marine invertebrates we can introduce to our reef aquarium tanks. Aquatic Live Food’s supply of Australian Plankton Reef Amphipods are prodigious grazers of microalgae and macroalgae.
They help control the growth of algae that might otherwise reach nuisance levels. Reef Amphipods are beneficial in the main tank as well as the refugium. They breed easily in captivity but will not overpopulate your system, being limited by space and available food. These eggs develop into swimming larvae which are released directly into the water column in the aquarium. Many types of fishes feed on Reef Amphipods, including clownfish, seahorses and angelfish.
Please use only captive-bred organisms in your reef aquarium. Mature females bear a marsupium, or brood pouch, which holds her eggs while they are fertilized, and until the young are ready to hatch. As the female ages, she produces more eggs in each brood. There are no larval stages; the eggs hatch directly into a juvenile form, and sexual maturity is generally reached after 6 moults they should be either placed in the refugium or filter floss compartment to start off your culture. Do NOT just drop them into your marine tank as the fish will eat them and it will be an expensive dinner.