Ultimate Pod Pack

Ultimate Pod Pack – Pick Any 3+ Bottles of Live Copepods

Build a live copepod bundle for your reef or marine aquarium. Choose at least three separate 8 oz bottles from Apocyclops, Tigriopus, and Tisbe. Repeats are welcome: select 1 + 1 + 1, 2 + 1, three of one culture, or any larger mix.

Retail bundle pricing: When your cart contains three or more eligible copepod bottles, the automatic 10% discount applies to every eligible bottle. Signed-in B2B customers receive their company catalog pricing without an additional retail bundle discount.

• Best for refugium seeding, natural feeding, and pod-dependent fish such as mandarin dragonets.
• Recommended pairing: consistent live phytoplankton dosing.
• Best introduction method: add after lights out into the refugium and rockwork.

Live Copepods for Reef Tanks

This Planktura Reef Pulse bundle helps establish and reinforce copepod populations that can persist in protected zones such as refugium, rubble, and macroalgae while providing ongoing live prey in the display.

• Seeds biodiversity in the display and refugium.
• Provides live prey for mandarins, pipefish, and some wrasses.
• Supports a more natural reef food web.

Choose From Three Copepod Cultures

Select any combination of the available cultures below. If one culture is unavailable, build your bundle from the others. Choosing multiple genera can broaden habitat coverage, while repeating one culture lets you concentrate on a specific goal.

• Tisbe sp. — smaller and benthic; tends to persist in rockwork, rubble, and macroalgae.
• Apocyclops sp. — more water-column active; distributes through the system and increases fish encounter rates.
• Tigriopus sp. — larger and robust; adds a bigger prey-size option and is easy to spot.

How to Add Copepods to a Reef Tank

For the highest survival rate, introduce copepods when predation and filtration pressure are lowest.

• Temperature-acclimate the bottles for 10–15 minutes.
• Gently swirl each bottle before pouring.
• Add after lights out.
• Target a refugium first, if available, then add some into rockwork and along the sandbed.
• Optionally pause fine mechanical filtration and UV for 30–60 minutes.

For best long-term results, feed the base of the food chain. Consistent live phytoplankton dosing supports copepod persistence and reproduction.

Who It’s For

• Reef keepers adding a mandarin dragonet or another pod-dependent fish.
• Refugium-based systems building a self-replenishing live-food source.
• Mixed reefs that benefit from stronger microfauna activity.
• Established reefs where predation is high and pod populations need replenishment.

FAQ

Can I choose more than three bottles?

Yes. Three bottles is the minimum, not the maximum. Add as many eligible bottles as you need; retail customers receive 10% off every eligible bottle once the cart reaches three.

Can I choose the same copepod more than once?

Yes. Repeats are allowed, so you can select three of one culture or any mix of the available choices.

Will these copepods reproduce in my tank?

They can, especially when there is protected habitat and consistent food such as live phytoplankton. In high-predation displays, reproduction may happen mainly in protected zones.

Do I need a refugium?

No, but a refugium is strongly recommended if your goal is a self-sustaining pod population because it provides a lower-predation breeding area.

Can I add all selected bottles at once?

Yes. Many reef keepers add them together at night. You can also stagger additions to reduce immediate predation pressure.

How should I store bottles?

Use them as fresh as possible. If they are not used immediately, oxygenate them daily by removing the lid for about 30 minutes, then reseal the bottle.

Do copepods fix dinoflagellates or cyanobacteria?

Copepods can graze biofilms and contribute to a healthier micro-ecosystem, but they are not a guaranteed cure. Use them as part of a broader stability plan involving nutrients, export, flow, and consistent feeding.