Tig Pods: A Food for Many by greg.chernoffThe reef aquarium hobby continues to reach new heights. This is most evident by the extraordinarily beautiful systems we see on display in public places, in images on social media, in advertisements, and even in some homes. These advancements have come about not only through improved technologies and supplements, but also through a better understanding of how natural marine ecosystems function. Undoubtedly, the surest way to build a naturalistic aquarium system is through the feeding of live plankton. Of all the zooplanktons one might find in the aquarium trade—and indeed in the wild—copepods are of greatest importance. The tiny, planktonic juvenile copepods are a particularly healthful food source for corals and other filter-feeding invertebrates. Harpacticoid copepods are especially useful to reefkeepers. One reason for this is that these copepods are benthic (i.e. bottom-dwelling) as adults. The adults make great targets (and an extremely nutritious meal) for many species of small reef fishes. They might even be preyed on by other “pods” such as amphipods. The larger its adult size is, the more species can locate, capture and consume it. The Supreme Pod It should be enough that copepods are magnificent live aquarium foods. Even so, they can benefit a reef tank in yet other ways. Most notably, harpacticoids consume detritus and microalgal films that appear on the rocks, glass, etc. In this way they transfer nutrients from wastes back to hungry aquarium livestock. Some of those individuals that escape predation will mate, producing planktonic larvae. These larvae graze phytoplankton (i.e. suspended, single-cellular algae) from the water column. Some of these young will be consumed by zooplanktivorous invertebrates; some will eventually settle onto the bottom and complete development as adults. [Copepods] And then? You guessed it; under the right conditions, these individuals will reproduce, supplying the captive ecosystem with a new generation. A propagative population of pods can play a long-term role in nutrient cycling (not to mention make an aquarist’s maintenance routine simpler). There are a handful of copepod species to choose from. Each is best suited to a particular purpose. This is why mixed species products are ideal. But the very best candidate for reef aquaria bears certain characteristics: It is hardy enough to survive under typical aquarium conditions. Tigs have a benthic adult form. It has a large adult size. It is nutritious and rich in color-enhancing pigments For the reason that it fits all of these criteria, the harpacticoid Tigriopus californicus remains extremely popular among reef aquarium hobbyists. Tigs: One Tough Pod californicus is adapted to the highly unstable, and sometimes inhospitable, conditions of the high shore (e.g. tidepools). In fact, they have a thermal tolerance range that few higher animals can match. Specifically, we’re talking about water temperatures from less than 50°F (10°C) to over 104°F (40°C). Thus, tigs feel right at home in the relatively cozy conditions of a reef aquarium. There they will feast greedily upon film algae and solid organic wastes. They will be considerably more productive where a properly sized refugium has been installed; if the refugium contains some rubble rock or MarinePure cubes to crawl on, even better. There they can hide, rest, forage and find mates. Predator-free populations can reach densities as high as 20,000 individuals per liter. Biggest little pods californicus is certainly among the largest of the copepod species typically offered to marine aquarists. It has a size range of 116 microns to 1.2 millimeters or more. Whoppers as big as three millimeters have been reported. But adults average out at around one millimeter. Sure, that might not sound very big in comparison to most other aquarium animals. But that’s huge for a harpacticoid copepod. Furthermore, a span of a-hundred-and-something microns to a millimeter is a huge range of size. While its nauplii are small enough to be consumed by the finest filter-feeding invertebrates, its fully mature adults are large enough to be seen, caught and eaten by a fairly wide variety of fishes—from mandarins to pygmy angelfish to six-lined wrasses. This makes them invaluable as an all-purpose pod for even the most highly diverse reef aquarium system. A wholesome treat T. californicus is, like most other harpacticoids, highly nutritious. It is rich in lipids and fatty acids. It has a high protein content. And one more thing: It’s really, really red. While so many other pods are more-or-less translucent, T. californicus has a distinctive ruddy hue. This is due primarily to carotenoid pigments. These colorants are derived from bacterial/plant pigments that are present in pod’s food. However, by getting eaten itself, the pod can serve as an intermediary for the passage of carotenoids up the food chain. So yes, if your fish are eating Tigriopus (and the pod larvae have a rich source of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton to exploit), there’s a good chance that they will exhibit intense coloration. Sludge-eating bacteria are highly recommended here. Of these, purple non-sulfur bacteria (e.g. PNS Probio™) are an excellent choice, as they are especially rich in important carotenoids such as astaxanthin. By nutritionally enriching the detritus, these bacteria make tiny detritivores such your Tig Pods more nutritious to pod-eaters like mandarins! Tigs are Best with the rest Tigriopus really could be the ultimate marine aquarium pod. That being said, it is always better to build the most diverse community of clean-up crew species as possible. That is why mixed species products are ideal. But any bag of mixed pod species should include tigs. And, to best capitalize on this species’ broad size range, the choicest product will include individuals of all life stages. A sound way to seed Tigriopus into your aquarium is with the Tig Pods and OceanMagik combo. Tig Pods contains individuals from every life stage. The inclusion of OceanMagik (composed of four select phytoplankton species) gives the young pods a major lift. Even better is 5280 Pods, a mixed-species live product that includes Tigriopus as well as Tisbe and Apocyclops. 5280 Pods is also available in a combo with OceanMagik. These high-quality live aquarium foods can be delivered to the reefkeeper’s front door. In fact, automatic shipments can be sent each month through a subscription. Best of all? AlgaeBarn’s Ultimate Refugium Starter Pack has everything one would need to properly set up, seed and establish a refugium. Each pack (which is available in a number of sizes) includes a bag of 5280 Pods, Turbo Start nitrifying bacteria, MarinePure cubes, OceanMagik phytoplankton and a starter patch of CleanMacro seaweed. There’s hardly a better way to put pods in your reef. [Copepods]
Travis Knorr says March 9, 2019 at 9:58 am Thank you for providing these articles. Can you provide a reference for the nutritional profile of the nauplii, copepodid, and copepods adults? Thanks, Travis Knorr Florida Keys Community College & Summerland Ocean Life Reply
Robert Blevins says March 29, 2019 at 5:24 pm Thanks for these great articles in so many areas. I always treat my wet friends to some live food when I can. Reply
Joseph Post says May 6, 2019 at 3:53 pm They seem to be a lot more beneficial than at first glance Reply
James kuchelmeister says May 6, 2019 at 4:12 pm The amount of things I learn on here is amazing and so helpful. Reply
brennanlottes says May 6, 2019 at 5:29 pm My fish have seemed way healthier and colorfull since I’ve used tiger pods in the tank Reply
Charles Wheeler says May 6, 2019 at 6:10 pm Is it possible to have too many pods in a system? I have a freshwater tank that has trillions crawling on everything, it’s almost creepy. Reply
Leslie Pustilnik says May 7, 2019 at 5:51 am My fish love it when I get a new shipment of pods in! Reply
Richard Quickley says May 7, 2019 at 6:34 am Like adding them don’t know how long they last in my tank. Reply
Jack Goldstein says May 12, 2019 at 6:16 pm Nice article. I haven’t tried culturing these yet, but I will now. Reply
Matt Langhoff says May 13, 2019 at 11:37 pm Been using AlgaeBarn’s pods for years. Really enjoy the products. Reply
Adrien says May 14, 2019 at 2:44 pm How I never knew that those little guys can be used so much! Reply
Diana Aliprandi says May 20, 2019 at 7:15 pm I love ordering your pods. Will need to resupply my tank once I have it the new one up Reply
Compy Ginorio says May 20, 2019 at 7:32 pm My fish got nuts about them. They don’t even let them set on the rocks… buajajaja Reply
Dwayne Newell says May 21, 2019 at 1:44 pm The starter kit was the best thing I couple have started with in my refugium Reply
Robert Vice says May 27, 2019 at 5:11 pm my pods have deffinitly increased since the fuge is doing good with the sea lettuce Reply
mcc says May 28, 2019 at 10:12 pm I’ve learned more from Algae Barn about copepods (& other little critters) thank anywhere else and allowed me to do more knowledgable searches for more information. Long before most of this information was readily available (30 years ago), I witnessed something exciting in my tank one evening. There was a cloud of critters swarming around some rocks. I assume these were copepods. Whatever they were was absolutely facinating. Reply
Alyssa says June 3, 2019 at 2:07 pm Been loving the fast shipment of the pods and discount rates when you subscribe, perfect for a lazy reefer like me. Reply
Kenneth Showman says June 3, 2019 at 10:37 pm Awesome in depth info. I’ve seen sites that sells pods, but never one like Algae Barn that gives such detailed information on the subject. Thank you Algae Barn! Reply
Pat says July 5, 2019 at 1:42 pm Pods are great for my fish that dont like to eat anything else like my wrasse. Reply
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