Live Copepods – Clean, Feed & Balance Your Reef - Tigriopus californicus
Give your reef tank a powerful biodiversity boost with Reefphyto’s Live Copepods (Tigriopus californicus). These nutrient-rich, highly active copepods are a crucial live food source for finicky fish such as mandarins, scooter blennies, anthias, and wrasses, as well as corals and filter-feeding invertebrates. They also play a vital role in maintaining a balanced aquarium ecosystem by naturally controlling detritus and microalgae.
Species Profile
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Scientific Name: Tigriopus californicus
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Adult Size: ~1 mm
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Behaviour: Strong swimmers, visible to the naked eye, highly active.
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Habitat Role: Part of the natural reef plankton community, grazing on microalgae and detritus.
Benefits for Your Aquarium
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Premium Live Nutrition: Packed with proteins, lipids, and essential fatty acids (EPA & DHA) to enhance fish health and coloration.
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Ideal for Finicky Feeders: Perfect for mandarins, dragonets, wrasses, seahorses, and small planktivorous fish.
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Coral & Invertebrate Enrichment: Provides a natural prey item for LPS, soft corals, and non-photosynthetic filter feeders.
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Biodiversity Booster: Helps establish a stable, self-sustaining microfauna population in your system.
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Natural Clean-Up Crew: Consumes detritus, excess food particles, and nuisance microalgae.
Feeding Recommendations
- Introduce directly to the display tank or refugium for best results.
- Best added in the evening when fish activity is lower.
- For ongoing benefits, add fresh copepods every 1–2 weeks to maintain population density.
Storage & Handling
We recommend adding copepods to your reef on the day of delivery.
Pro Tip
For the best long-term success, feed your copepods with our 5 Species Live Phytoplankton Blend. This ensures your copepod population has a constant, high-quality food source, allowing them to reproduce and thrive in your aquarium.
