Live Copepods – Clean, Feed & Balance Your Reef - Tigriopus californicus
Give your reef tank a powerful biodiversity boost with Reefphyto’s Live Copepods (Tigriopus californicus). Naturally found in supralittoral tide pools along the Pacific coast, Tigriopus californicus thrives in environments that are often too harsh for most marine life. This background makes it an exceptionally robust and reliable copepod for aquariums. Its outstanding adaptability allows it to handle fluctuations in water parameters and other stressful conditions far better than many copepod species, meaning even less-than-perfect or unstable water chemistry is unlikely to impact its population.
Beyond its resilience, these nutrient-dense and highly active copepods provide an essential live food source for demanding species such as mandarins, scooter blennies, anthias, and wrasses, while also benefiting corals and filter-feeding invertebrates. At the same time, they contribute to a healthier, more balanced aquarium by helping to naturally manage detritus and microalgae.hese 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.
Our live copepods are known for their prolific reproductive capabilities. Female copepods can produce hundreds or even thousands of eggs, contributing significantly to their abundance in aquatic ecosystems. This means once you add them to your aquarium, they'll naturally reproduce and create a self-sustaining population.
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.
