Darren Wordley

Darren Wordley

Founder of Reefphyto | Marine Live Food Specialist

  • Reef Aquarium Nutrition
  • Live Phytoplankton Culturing
  • Copepod & Rotifer Culture
  • Mandarin Dragonet Feeding
  • Reef Tank Ecosystem Stability
  • Coral Feeding Strategies
  • Zooplankton & Microfauna
  • Marine Aquaculture Techniques
  • Sustainable Reefkeeping
  • Beginner to Advanced Reef Care

Darren Wordley is the founder of Reefphyto and has spent 16 years doing one thing: making professional-grade live marine nutrition accessible to reef keepers who refuse to settle for second best.

He started Reefphyto in 2008 after watching the UK reef-keeping community struggle with the same problem — fish and corals declining not from poor husbandry, but from a nutritional gap that dried and frozen food was never designed to fill. He had the expertise. He had the facility in Wales. He built the solution.

Today Darren writes, advises, and answers questions personally — because he believes the guidance is as important as the product. Whether you're establishing a refugium for a mandarin dragonet or building a complete live food system from scratch, his articles are written from real experience, for reef keepers who want their tanks to truly thrive.

Copepod breeding shelter, the Reefphyto PodHide, in a reef tank refugium with chaeto macroalgae

The Copepod Breeding Shelter: How to Stop Pods Disappearing From Your Reef Tank

Darren Wordley

Darren Wordley 13 minute read

Reef Keeping Guides

How to hatch brine shrimp at home - brine shrimp hatchery with freshly hatched nauplii ready to harvest

How to Hatch Brine Shrimp at Home - Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Darren Wordley

Darren Wordley 17 minute read

Reef Keeping Guides

Coral feeding - LPS coral extending polyps to capture live zooplankton in a reef tank

Coral Feeding: The Complete Beginner's Guide

Darren Wordley

Darren Wordley 17 minute read

Reef Keeping Guides

Mandarin dragonet care - healthy mandarin hunting copepods on live rock in a reef tank

Mandarin Dragonet Care - How to Keep a Mandarin Alive Long-Term

Darren Wordley

Darren Wordley 12 minute read

Reef Keeping Guides

How to set up a refugium - chaetomorpha macroalgae and copepods in a reef tank sump

How to Set Up a Refugium for Copepods and Natural Filtration

Darren Wordley

Darren Wordley 16 minute read

Reef Keeping Guides

What Do Corals Eat? The Complete Guide to Coral Nutrition for Reef Keepers

What Do Corals Eat? The Complete Guide to Coral Nutrition for Reef Keepers

Darren Wordley

Darren Wordley 17 minute read

Coral Care | Reef Feeding

Live vs Frozen Copepods: Which Is Better for Your Reef?

Live vs Frozen Copepods: Which Is Better for Your Reef?

Darren Wordley

Darren Wordley 11 minute read

Mandarin Goby Care: Why Most Die in Six Months (And How to Be the Exception)

Mandarin Goby Care: Why Most Die in Six Months (And How to Be the Exception)

Darren Wordley

Darren Wordley 9 minute read

Beginner Reefkeeping Guides | Reef Feeding & Nutrition Guides

how to grow coral at home

How to Grow Coral at Home: A Complete UK Starter Guide

Darren Wordley

Darren Wordley 21 minute read

Beginner Reefkeeping Guides

Do Reef Fish Really Need Live Food?

Do Reef Fish Really Need Live Food? Debunking Reef Feeding Myths

Darren Wordley

Darren Wordley 9 minute read

Beginner Reefkeeping Guides

Reef Tank Water Changes: The Unsung Ritual That Keeps Your Reef Thriving

Reef Tank Water Changes: The Unsung Ritual That Keeps Your Reef Thriving

Darren Wordley

Darren Wordley 8 minute read

Reef Ecosystem & Stability

Why Live Copepods Benefit Your Reef Tank

Why Live Copepods Benefit Your Reef Tank

Darren Wordley

Darren Wordley 8 minute read

Copepods & Live Zooplankton

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