- Sku:
- Vendor: Dinkins Aquatic Gardens
Dinkins Aquatic Gardens Copepods - Reef Snacklebox
The Dinkins Aquatic Gardens Reef Snacklebox is a live, three-species copepod blend built to feed even the pickiest fish, nourish your corals, and supercharge your cleanup crew. Each bottle mixes Tisbe, Apocyclops, and Tigriopus copepods, giving you a range of sizes and behaviors that seed real biodiversity across the rock, sand, and water column.
Pair it with live phytoplankton to keep your pods fed and reproducing. It is also the perfect first food for a new mandarin goby or dragonet.
Three Copepod Species
- Tisbe. Small benthic pods that hide and breed in rock and sand, an ideal steady food source for mandarins and dragonets.
- Apocyclops. Hardy, warm-water pods that are highly nutritious and great for corals and smaller mouths.
- Tigriopus. Larger, bright orange pods rich in natural carotenoids, so they double as a color-enhancing food that fish love to chase.
What Copepods Do
- Feed finicky fish. Mandarins, dragonets, wrasses, and pipefish often only eat live pods, especially when first settling in.
- Nourish corals. Corals actively capture copepods for a rich, natural food source.
- Clean your tank. As detritivores, pods eat leftover food and waste and reach into crevices in the rock that your cleanup crew cannot.
- Build biodiversity. A living pod population makes the whole system more stable and self-sustaining.
How to Add Them
For best results, add the pods after lights out with the return pump and powerheads briefly off. Pour them near the rockwork, sump, or refugium so they can settle and hide before hungry fish find them. Seeding a refugium habitat and feeding phytoplankton lets the population grow and keep producing food on its own.
Specifications
| Type | Live marine copepod blend |
| Species | Tisbe, Apocyclops, and Tigriopus |
| Best for | Mandarins, dragonets, wrasses, pipefish, corals, and reef cleanup crews |
| Water type | Saltwater and reef |
| Available sizes | 8 oz and 16 oz |
| Storage | Keep cool and out of direct light, add to the tank soon after purchase |
| Brand | Dinkins Aquatic Gardens |
Recommended Pairings
- Dinkins Live Phytoplankton: feeds your pods so they reproduce and last longer.
- Green Mandarin Goby: a classic pod eater that thrives when a pod population is established.
- Adaptive Reef Copepod Habitat: a sump or refugium shelter that lets pods breed safely.
- Browse all corals and saltwater products.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why live copepods?
Many reef fish, especially mandarins and dragonets, prefer or require live pods, particularly when settling into a new tank. A living population also keeps feeding your fish and corals between your regular feedings.
How do I keep them going in my tank?
Seed a refugium or sump, go easy on adding pod-hungry fish at first, and feed phytoplankton so the pods reproduce faster than they are eaten.
Which size should I get?
The 8 oz is great for a nano tank or seeding a single mandarin setup. The 16 oz suits larger systems or a fresh refugium start.
Why is it pickup only?
These are live animals that need to stay cool. We keep them refrigerated and hand them to you at the store so they arrive alive and ready to go.
Have a question?
Dinkins Aquatic Gardens Copepods - Reef Snacklebox
