ReefPodsTM are the only truly tropical live copepod culture available on the market today.
ReefPods™ Tisbe the most popular aquarium Pod -they consumes your aquarium’s wastes and detritus, reproduce well, and are food for a multitude of reef inhabitants!
Small harpacticoid copepod
Adult Length 0.7 – 1.0 mm
ReefPods™ Tisbe is a live culture of the harpacticoid copepod Tisbe biminiensis. Tisbe adult copepods live on bottom substrate such as live rock or sand and will eat detritus and microalage in the aquarium. They produce a small nauplii which is an excellent food for aquarium filter feeders and fish larvae. The adults are eaten by small bottom feeding fish such as gobies, dragonettes and blennies.
ReefPods™ Tisbe may be used as a starter culture to add to marine aquarium refugiums or the main tank. Once established they will reproduce quickly, growing from nauplii to adults in about nine days. They will thrive in a wide range of aquarium temperatures and a wide range of salinities. It is suggested they be added to the aquarium at night or to the refugium to avoid immediate fish predation.
ReefPods™ Tisbe may be cultured separately in a small tank by feeding PhycoPure™ CopePod Blend™. The nauplii are 55-140 micrometers wide, making them suitable for many fish larvae. Adults may be harvested for feeding juvenile seahorses and other small fish.
Reef Pods™ are the only truly tropical live copepod cultures available on the market today. It opens an exciting new area of feeding possibilities for the experimental marine aquarist. Look for many new species of copepod cultures to be available from the culture professionals at AlgaGen.
Biology of Tisbe biminiensis
- Small harpacticoid copepod
- Lives on surfaces and swims in water column
- Life stages: Egg (1), Nauplii (6), Copepodid (5), Adult (1)
- Reproduction: sexual
- Eggs are deposited in an egg sac attached to female genital segment
- 10-70 eggs per egg sac
- Nauplii width: 55-140 m wide
- Adult length:0.70 -1.0 mm
- Nauplii to egg producing age: 9-12 days
- Life span: 15-20 days
- Stocking densities: 0.25-1.5/mL
- Stock into refugium for tank hygiene control and for background live feeds
- Culture preferences
- Lite to medium aeration
- Temp 22-30C
- Salinity 20-35ppt
- Feed PhycoPure™ CopePod Blend™
Aquarium Applications
Tisbe is an excellent all purpose aquarium copepod owing to its role in the natural environment as a detritivore. An opportunist feeder, Tisbe can be used as a tank cleaner consuming uneaten food and wastes as well as phytoplankton in the tank and refugium. Tisbe is capable of producing many eggs during its adult life span that hatch into nauplii which will enter the water column as food for your filter feeding reef inhabitants and replenish the adult population vital to tank hygiene. Tisbe adults and juveniles may also enter the water column and be tasty and nutritious treats for your reef fish!
Culturing tips
Tisbe can be cultured in containers as small as one gallon. Tisbe are tolerant to a wide range of water quality, which requires culture containers to be cleaned no more than once per week when the copepods are not overfed. Tisbe can be cultured continuously for months in an ecologically established low-density culture similar to an aquarium refugium when small amounts of live microalgae are added periodically. When high densities and maximum egg production are desired, live microalgae should be fed at a rate sufficient to be “cleared” within 18-24 hours.
Acclimation upon receipt
Upon receipt of your Tisbe starter culture, open the bottle and smell the culture water. It will be normal to smell a sweet salt smell or even a slightly earthy smell. It will not be normal to smell rotten eggs. Do not use your copepods if a rotten odor is detected. Tisbe tolerates a wide range of temperatures and salinities and doesn’t usually require water-parameter acclimation. Healthy Tisbe can be added directly to the main aquarium, sump, refugium or culture containers.
Main Features
Specifications
What's in the Box
Manufacturer Info
AlgaGen LLC
AlgaGen LLC is a biotechnology company utilizing microalgae to develop new products for the human health, animal feed additives, aquaculture and aquarium industries. One of our goals is to utilize our product development capabilities and unique manufacturing technologies as a platform to produce, and commercialize, anyone of a number of high value proteins and fine chemicals pertinent to our target markets.
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AlgaGen ReefPods Tisbe Live Aquacultured Copepods - 8 oz.
Reviews
Just not there!!
by
DAVID PACKARD
Unsatisfactory
Posted: 4/16/2013 from DUXBURY, MA UNITED STATES
1.0
5
Experience Level:
Expert
Comments:
When I got this 16 oz bottle of live copepods, I studied the bottle with two different power magnifiers, I could see seditment in the water , One adult and two young ones thats after an hour of looking!! The bottle looked clear with a little sediment on the bottom ,not green with phylol like shown in picture, I called and the man said they were mostly eggs, I said ,then why did the bottle say Live copepods? I ordered over 10,000 copepods and amfipods on a different site, I tried here,and now back to my old site, I would not buy again!!!
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Did I get water only?
by
JAMES PROSKE
Below Average
Posted: 4/2/2013 from Hillsborough, NJ UNITED STATES
2.0
5
Experience Level:
Beginner
Comments:
I know pods are very small, so it looked like I bought a container of water, with part of it in the leaked into the bag. I guess I need to wait a few more days to see if any pods mature.
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its o.k.
by
KAREN M.
Average
Posted: 3/20/2013 from FALLBROOK, CA UNITED STATES
3.0
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
Have not seen any yet, its only been a week. I think my clowns ate them. Make sure too turn all power heads and pump off for at least an hour. I will try it one more time in a few weeks.
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Fantastic
by
SCOTT
Excellent!
Posted: 7/8/2012 from Gilroy, CA UNITED STATES
5.0
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
Purchased two 8oz to give them a try. What an awesome product. There were only a few moving in the container when they arrived but I added them to my Fuge and within three days they were everywhere! The best part is that with each hatching more and more arrive in my display tank carried up from the refugium from my return pump. They are quite popular with many of my tank mates. Colt coral, snails, sea slug, crabs, wrasse..etc. Make sure to turn off any pumps/filters/skimmer for a good hour so the culture can settle unless your after a one time feeding. I would recommend this product to anyone!!
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algaGen ReefPods Tisbe live aq
by
GLENN SADLER
Average
Posted: 5/4/2012 from CATAWISSA, PA UNITED STATES
2.5
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
It is difficult to evaluate this product. I could not
see any live reefpods. Once it is put into the aquarium
(in this case 120 gallons), there is not any way to really know if the pods are growing. I put it in to feed my Copperband Butterfly fish. Perhaps in time I will see some result. It has only been two weeks since I put the product it.
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Would use again
by
DINO DEL SIGNORE
Great
Posted: 4/15/2012 from HARRISON, NY UNITED STATES
3.5
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
Good overall product just have to keep in mind they are eggs so it will take time. Easy to add to my aquarium and staff was helpful with tips on how to keep the eggs from being eaten. Will be ordering more in the future to better seed my tank.
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Stanky!
by
MARK S.
Excellent!
Posted: 4/6/2012 from Cary, NC UNITED STATES
5.0
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
These pods arrived nice and cool with green color and some algae pieces mixed in. Been warned that you can expect a rather strong odor if you dump the entire contents into your tank or leave the cap off of the package. I suggest have a fan ready or make sure you are out of the room for awhile!
I put half of the pack in my sump/refugium around some live rock and half in the display tank (after feeding the livestock well and turning off the lights). Hopefully in time they will multiply!
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ITS ALIVE!
by
Kyle
Excellent!
Posted: 3/22/2012 from ATHENS, TX UNITED STATES
5.0
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
This is an amazing product. I was able to take half the bottle as food for my mandarins and the other half to start a very nice culture. They also reproduce quickly.
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Nothing alive visible
by
Alvin
Unsatisfactory
Posted: 3/13/2012 from LOGAN, UT UNITED STATES
0.5
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
I received the package as others have stated, with the pour spout, in a green liquid with some chaeto on the bottom. No signs of life, swimming. Added it to my tank anyway, an no sign of any life and my Spotted Dragonet is very thin. I will not be buying this in the future.
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Mine looked very different
by
Tim B
Unsatisfactory
Posted: 2/24/2012 from PASO ROBLES, CA UNITED STATES
1.0
5
Experience Level:
Intermediate
Comments:
The container I received was different than the currently advertised bottle with live pods visibly swimming. My shipment was more of a pouch with a pour spout on it, a small piece of some type of plant/macroalgae etc., with nothing visible swimming about. I smelled the solution, no sour smell, so I assumed I was simply dealing with pods too small for me to see. It could have been plain saltwater for all I could tell. Added half to my refugium, half to open tank water. No adverse effects, but no way of knowing if anything living made it into my tank. I've since found a LFS that carries bottled pods similar in appearance to the currently advertised bottles, and will deal only with them so I know what I'm getting before it arrives.
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