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.

When to Add Copepods to a New Tank: Timing, Amounts and Feeding

When to Add Copepods to a New Tank: Timing, Amounts and Feeding

Darren Wordley

Darren Wordley 17 minute read

Reef Keeping Guides

Live Phytoplankton for Reef Tank Health: The Ocean Runs on It, and So Does Your Tank

Live Phytoplankton for Reef Tank Health: The Ocean Runs on It, and So Does Your Tank

Darren Wordley

Darren Wordley 17 minute read

Reef Keeping Guides | Phytoplankton & Microfauna

Adult harpacticoid copepods on live rock, safe from a UV steriliser in a reef tank

UV Steriliser in a Reef Tank: Is It Eating Your Pods?

Darren Wordley

Darren Wordley 16 minute read

Reef Keeping Guides

How to cycle a marine aquarium: bare dry rock aquascape before livestock, Reefphyto Wales

How to Cycle a Marine Aquarium: The Complete UK Guide

Darren Wordley

Darren Wordley 31 minute read

Beginner Reefkeeping Guides | Reef Ecosystem & Stability

Zoanthid Care: Why Zoas Struggle When Your Reef Thrives

Zoanthid Care: Why Zoas Struggle When Your Reef Thrives

Darren Wordley

Darren Wordley 16 minute read

Reef Keeping Guides

How to Keep Your Reef Tank Cool in a Heatwave

How to Keep Your Reef Tank Cool in a Heatwave

Darren Wordley

Darren Wordley 18 minute read

Reef Keeping Guides

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

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