Description
Tigger-Pods (Tigriopus californicus copepods) swim upwards with a stimulating, jerky motion, they are attractive to a wide range of fish like Mandarin dragonets, Seahorses and Pipefish. They are easy to culture and perfect for propagation or restocking refugia. They breed rapidly, producing scores of eggs per female.
Apex-Pods™ are live Apocyclops panamensis copepods. They are an excellent food source that attracts finicky fish, such as mandarin dragonets, pipefish, Anthias sp. and wrasses. This copepod can also be fed to invertebrates, such as SPS, LPS and NPS corals, as well as other filter feeders. Smaller than Reef Nutrition’s Tigger-Pods®, Apex-Pods stage 1 nauplii are approximately 70 microns and adults are approximately 600 to 700 microns.
Phyto-Feast® Live has the same algae as Phyto-Feast but is handled with special care, being harvested and shipped fresh each week, maximizing short-term cell viability. A blend of Pavlova, Isochrysis, Thalassiosira weissflogii, Tetraselmis, Nannochloropsis, and Synechococcus, marine microalgae most commonly used by universities and hatcheries for their superior nutritional value for aquaculturing a wide range of marine filter feeders—including feeders including corals, Tridacnid clams, scallops, feather dusters, tunicates and zooplankton. Particle size is 1 -15 micron.
PODS
QUALITY
You won't find any higher quality pods. Tigger-Pods are cultured at Reef Nutrition using a proprietary, meticulous, and bio-secure process by the world leader in the development of algae- and zooplankton-based feeds.
SUPER NUTRITIOUS
Your tank will get a big healthy boost because Tigger-Pods are fed on Reef Nutrition Phyto-Feast®—nutritious marine microalgae raised on site.
MYTH BUSTER!
Contrary to what some say, Tigger-Pods will thrive in your warm reef tank. In fact, warmer water revs up their metabolism and reproductive rate. They will do well in cool water too.
HIGHEST DENSITY, MORE VALUE
Our bottles are the most concentrated on the market, giving your tank more quality pods per dose for your money.
Storage:
We recommend that you add Tigger-Pods the day you receive them. If you need to hold them before adding, simply pop the cap and put them in the fridge for a few days.
Receiving your Tigger-Pods:
Upon arrival, you may notice the Tigger-Pods aren't very active. This is normal when cold shipped or cold stored. As the bottles warm up, the Tigger-Pods will become more active. It is not uncommon to have a few of the oldest copepods to die from old age. We pack the bottle with life stages above 300 microns, so the bottle will be full of juveniles and egg-bearing females. On average, we add at least 10% more in every bottle to account for any DOA. Each bottle contains approximately 3,000 copepods.
Acclimation:
Open bottle cap and remove the inside liner, if there is one. Let the bottle stand at room temp for 2 hours to allow the temperature to rise. The Tigger-Pods can be poured directly into your refugium and/or main tank.
Use:
- Direct feed to fish, corals and other inverts:
- Turn off wavemakers and your recirculating pump(s).
- Pour the animals in and watch the feeding frenzy.
- You can even use a target feeding device for this step.
- Since some of the copepods will cling to the side of the bottle after pouring, make sure to rinse the remainders out with clean saltwater so that you get every last animal.
Establish in a display:
- Turn off the lights, wavemakers and recirculating pump(s).
- Pour the animals in and wait for 30 minutes.
- Return the system to normal function.
- Remove filter socks and floss. Replace the next morning.
Since some of the copepods will cling to the side of the bottle after pouring, make sure to rinse the remainders out with clean saltwater so that you get every last animal.
Establish in a refugium (best method):
- Pour in the animals and watch them settle in.
Since some of the copepods will cling to the side of the bottle after pouring, make sure to rinse the remainders out with clean saltwater so that you get every last animal.
Care and Feeding:
Copepods are relatively easy to care for and maintain. They feed primarily on microalgae and can be fed our phytoplankton-based product blends such as Phyto-Feast.
Copepods can live in your main tank, your refugium, or in a separate dedicated system. In your main tank, they will be eaten and depleted by your fish and corals. In your refugium they will thrive since there are no predators. Pods from your refugium can be periodically harvest and fed to your main tank.
Copepods like to remain inconspicuous, so they will prefer an environment with nooks and crannies. In your main tank they will hide in your live rock and gravel. In your refugium they will hide in your macroalgae and other plants.
LIVE PHYTOPLANKTON CONCENTRATE
SUPER-NUTRITIOUS
The only LIVE algae concentrate that contains 100% of the nutrition needed by your animals: proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins & essential fatty acids. Harvested and shipped fresh each week—over 95% of the cells are alive when bottled.
RIGHT ALGAE MIX
Phyto-Feast Live is a mix of Pavlova, Isochrysis, Thalassiosira weissflogii, Tetraselmis, Nannochloropsis, and Synechococcus, just like Reef Nutrition's Phyto-Feast® concentrate.
COLOR ENHANCING
Phyto-Feast Live's brown, green, blue-green, yellow-green and golden algae will enhance the health and the color of your animals.
LONG SHELF LIFE
- When stored properly, a bottle of Phyto-Feast Live will provide the same value after 2 months+ as on day. Best By is 3 months.
- If you have not used Phyto-Feast Live before, start with 1 drop per gallon each day (1 teaspoon per 100 gallons) . Your animals will rapidly become accustomed to the phytoplankton (microalgae) and be able to feed on quite a bit more.
- If your animals do not "clear" the water in less than an hour - back off on the amount you are adding because your systems is not fully digesting all the microalgae.
- A common dosage for a mature system is 1-5 drops per gallon (1-5 teaspoons per 100 gallons) each day, depending on your tank setup and animal density.
Broadcast Feeding:
Simply add the dose to a high flow area of the tank. We recommend turning off your skimmer before adding the algae. Many customers have been successful by putting their skimmer on a vacation timer so it automatically turns back on later in the evening (2 hours is a good window).
Target feeding:
Dilute 1 part Phyto-Feast Live to 4 parts tank water. Mix thoroughly. Turn off all pumps to allow the tank to go calm. Using a target feeding device, feed your animals. Wait about 30 minutes and then turn everything back on.
Usage Tips
We recommend turning off your skimmer before adding the algae. Many customers have been successful by putting their skimmer on a vacation timer so it automatically turns back on later in the evening (2 hours is a good window).
Storage
Refrigerate (33-42°F / 1-5°C) before and after opening. The best place to store algae is the bottom shelf because that is the coldest place in your refrigerator. The worst place to store it is the refrigerator door which may not be cold enough. Do not store Phyto-Feast in your freezer because freezing will break many of the algae cells.
Best By
3 months
