Reef Nutrition Tigger Pods - Live

Reef Nutrition Tigger‑Pods® (Live Tigriopus californicus) are large, bright red, highly nutritious copepods cultured in a bio-secure facility and fed on Phyto‑Feast microalgae. They’re one of the most effective live foods for boosting biodiversity, feeding finicky fish, and establishing a thriving pod population in reef tanks. 🧭 Core Takeaway Tigger‑Pods are dense, hardy, fast‑breeding copepods ideal for feeding mandarins, pipefish, seahorses, wrasses, and corals — and for seeding refugia with a sustainable pod population. They swim with a distinctive jerky upward motion that triggers strong feeding responses. 🐛 Species & Behavior Species: Tigriopus californicus Color: Bright red Motion: Jerky, upward swimming — extremely attractive to fish Life stages in each bottle: Egg-bearing females, mature males, juveniles (all >300 microns) Quantity: ~3,000 pods per 6 oz bottle (Reef Nutrition adds ~10% extra to offset DOA) 🌱 Nutrition & Quality Fed exclusively on Phyto‑Feast® microalgae for maximum nutrition Cultured using a proprietary, bio-secure process Highest density copepod bottles on the market Thrive in warm reef tanks — warmer water increases metabolism and reproduction rate (myth-busting point from Reef Nutrition) 🐠 Who Benefits Ideal for feeding: Mandarin dragonets Seahorses & pipefish Wrasses Finicky planktivores LPS & soft corals (direct feeding) Ideal for system biodiversity: Refugia Pod‑dependent ecosystems New tanks needing microfauna establishment 🧪 How to Add Tigger‑Pods 1. Acclimation Pop the cap and let bottle sit at room temp for ~2 hours No salinity acclimation needed Pods may appear sluggish when cold — they become active as they warm up 2. Adding to Display Tank Add after lights out Turn off wavemakers & recirculation pumps Pour in pods Wait 30 minutes before restoring flow Rinse bottle with clean saltwater to get every pod 3. Adding to Refugium (Best Method) Simply pour them in — lights on or off Pods settle into rock, substrate, and macroalgae 4. Direct Feeding Turn off pumps Pour pods directly into feeding zone or use a target feeder 🧊 Storage Best added same day If holding: Pop the cap Store in refrigerator 33–42°F (1–5°C) Safe for up to ~2 weeks Cold storage slows metabolism; pods may appear inactive until warmed 🧬 Culturing Easy to culture; produce scores of eggs per female Feed with Phyto‑Feast Provide porous rock or macroalgae for habitat