Live Tigriopus Copepods - Reef Genetics

Tigriopus californicus occupy the upper end of the copepod size range at 200–500μm, making them one of the most visible and accessible live foods available for reef and marine breeding systems. Reef Genetics cultures these in-house and gut-loads them with lipid-rich phytoplankton before each weekly harvest, ensuring the pods arrive with a full nutritional load rather than depleted from extended holding. The result is a live food dense in EPA, DHA, proteins, enzymes, and naturally occurring probiotics.

The species' signature stop-and-go swimming behavior is a genuine functional advantage. Surface-dwelling fish that ignore frozen or prepared foods will often lock onto the erratic movement of Tigriopus immediately. This makes them particularly well-suited for dragonets, pipefish, wrasses, anthias, and other finicky or small-mouthed species that rely on visual hunting cues. Because Tigriopus tend to occupy the upper water column, they complement benthic species like Tisbe rather than competing with them, which is useful when building a balanced pod community across a display tank and refugium.

Beyond direct feeding value, Tigriopus contribute to secondary system functions. They assist with detritus breakdown and organic waste processing, adding a small but meaningful benefit to water quality maintenance. The 8oz bottle format works as a single-event feeding for smaller tanks or as a seed dose for systems up to 40 gallons. They can also be transferred directly into a dedicated culture vessel if the goal is establishing a self-sustaining home population.

For best results when seeding, shut down pumps, powerheads, UV sterilizers, and protein skimmers 10–20 minutes before introduction. Adding pods at night or with lights dimmed reduces immediate predation pressure and improves settlement rates. Dose into a refugium or near open rockwork in the display tank, and plan to supplement with phytoplankton two to three times per week. Providing macroalgae such as Chaetomorpha or Gracilaria gives pods structure to shelter in and supports population persistence over time.