Tigro (Tigger) Copepods

Note: Unlike most copepods on the market which are seived to only contain adults, our copepods are a full mixed culture of larva, juveniles and adults, and often eggs as well. This will help introduce a population of various life stages and help boost your own population in your tank.

Tigro Copepods (commonly known as Tigger Pods or Tigriopus californicus) are large, red, harpacticoid copepods highly valued in marine aquariums as a nutrient-dense live food source. 

Key Characteristics

• Appearance: Vibrant red or orange due to high levels of astaxanthin, an antioxidant that also enhances the colour of fish and corals.

• Movement: Characterized by a stimulating, jerky swimming motion that triggers an instinctive feeding response in predators.

• Size: Among the largest common aquarium copepods, ranging from 250 to 1,700 microns (up to 2mm), making them visible to the naked eye.

• Hardiness: Extremely resilient; they can withstand wide swings in temperature and salinity, a trait evolved from their native tide-pool habitats. 
  

Benefits for Your Aquarium

1. Feeding Finicky Fish: Ideal for picky eaters like Mandarin Dragonets, Seahorses, and Pipefish that require live, moving prey.

2. Clean-Up Crew: They act as micro-scavengers, consuming detritus, fish waste, and nuisance algae like diatoms or cyanobacteria.

3. Biodiversity: Seeding a refugium with Tigger Pods provides a self-sustaining food source and strengthens the tank's ecosystem. 
   

Usage and Care

• Introduction: Best added at night when fish are less active to allow them to find cover in rocks and substrate.

• Feeding: They primarily feed on microalgae and can be sustained with live phytoplankton.

• Storage: Unopened bottles should be refrigerated (1–5°C) to slow their metabolism and extend shelf life