Surface or water column?
Benthic means surface-associated. Pelagic means water-column living. Some cultures use both zones.
PodDrop / culture comparison
Compare live copepods.
Habitat, life stage and feeding role—side by side. Find the right starting point for your reef or live-feed program.
Read this first
The right fit starts with biology.
Relative sizes are qualitative, not measured bottle specifications. Obtain stage-specific measurements for hatchery work.
Adults are not nauplii
Relative adult size is only a browsing guide. Larviculture needs stage-specific prey-size information.
Seeding is a starting point
Predation, food and protected habitat determine what persists. A bottle is not a permanent feeding guarantee.
The culture directory
Compare the details.
Select up to three profiles for a focused side-by-side table. All profiles remain available without JavaScript.
8 culture profiles
Surface-associated
Tisbe biminiensis
Surface-associated harpacticoid
- Habitat
- Benthic / surface-associated
- Relative size
- Small adults; much smaller nauplii
- Feeding approach
- Microalgae and surface-associated food
Consider for
Rockwork, substrate and protected refugium seeding.
Mixed habitat
Apocyclops panamensis
Active cyclopoid
- Habitat
- Water column and surfaces
- Relative size
- Small-to-medium adult profile
- Feeding approach
- Species-appropriate microalgal diet
Consider for
A versatile option for reef feeding and a separate copepod culture.
Surface-associated
Tigriopus californicus
Larger harpacticoid
- Habitat
- Surface-associated; swims in bursts
- Relative size
- Larger, easier-to-observe adults
- Feeding approach
- Microalgae and suitable supplemental food
Consider for
Visible live prey and dedicated culture projects.
What to know
Large adults are not the same as fine first-feeding prey. Reef persistence varies with predation and habitat.
References: 1Surface-associated
Tigriopus sirindhornae
Thai harpacticoid culture
- Habitat
- Surface-associated; active bursts
- Relative size
- Larger adult prey profile
- Feeding approach
- Confirm the current culture-feeding protocol
Consider for
An alternative harpacticoid culture for targeted live feeding.
Water column
Parvocalanus crassirostris
Small pelagic calanoid
- Habitat
- Pelagic / water column
- Relative size
- Small adults; fine naupliar prey
- Feeding approach
- Appropriate small live microalgae
Consider for
Specialist larviculture and fine-prey feeding programs.
What to know
Match naupliar size to the target larva. Requires a dedicated feeding, water-quality and harvest plan.
References: 1Water column
Acartia tonsa
Pelagic calanoid
- Habitat
- Pelagic / water column
- Relative size
- Adults larger than their nauplii
- Feeding approach
- Live microalgae suited to the protocol
Consider for
Defined water-column feeding, larviculture and research.
What to know
Specify life stage and culture requirements. A mixed-stage bottle is not a standardized nauplii-only feed.
References: 1Mixed habitat
Pseudodiaptomus pelagicus
Calanoid with mixed habitat use
- Habitat
- Water column / near-bottom habitat
- Relative size
- Larger calanoid adult profile
- Feeding approach
- A suitable microalgal feeding program
Consider for
Progressive prey-size and specialized live-feed programs.
What to know
Habitat use varies with life stage. Do not treat adults as exclusively open-water swimmers.
References: 1Water column
Oithona colcarva
Small cyclopoid
- Habitat
- Planktonic / water-column activity
- Relative size
- Small adults; very fine naupliar prey
- Feeding approach
- A validated, species-specific mixed diet
Consider for
Specialized fine-prey and marine larviculture applications.
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways. Species names stay visible.
| Culture | Habitat | Relative size | Feeding approach | Consider for / important context | Explore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tisbe biminiensisSurface-associated harpacticoid | Benthic / surface-associated | Small adults; much smaller nauplii | Microalgae and surface-associated food | Rockwork, substrate and protected refugium seeding.Provide protected surface area. Introduction does not guarantee establishment or enough prey for a mandarin. | View culture : Tisbe biminiensis Species guide: Tisbe biminiensis |
| Apocyclops panamensisActive cyclopoid | Water column and surfaces | Small-to-medium adult profile | Species-appropriate microalgal diet | A versatile option for reef feeding and a separate copepod culture.Feeding and culture performance depend on the diet. Do not assume all green phytoplankton are interchangeable. | View culture : Apocyclops panamensis Species guide: Apocyclops panamensis |
| Tigriopus californicusLarger harpacticoid | Surface-associated; swims in bursts | Larger, easier-to-observe adults | Microalgae and suitable supplemental food | Visible live prey and dedicated culture projects.Large adults are not the same as fine first-feeding prey. Reef persistence varies with predation and habitat. | View culture : Tigriopus californicus Species guide: Tigriopus californicus |
| Tigriopus sirindhornaeThai harpacticoid culture | Surface-associated; active bursts | Larger adult prey profile | Confirm the current culture-feeding protocol | An alternative harpacticoid culture for targeted live feeding.Use the product’s supplied identity and culture instructions. Do not assume it has identical tolerances to T. californicus. | View culture : Tigriopus sirindhornae Species guide: Tigriopus sirindhornae |
| Parvocalanus crassirostrisSmall pelagic calanoid | Pelagic / water column | Small adults; fine naupliar prey | Appropriate small live microalgae | Specialist larviculture and fine-prey feeding programs.Match naupliar size to the target larva. Requires a dedicated feeding, water-quality and harvest plan. | View culture : Parvocalanus crassirostris Species guide: Parvocalanus crassirostris |
| Acartia tonsaPelagic calanoid | Pelagic / water column | Adults larger than their nauplii | Live microalgae suited to the protocol | Defined water-column feeding, larviculture and research.Specify life stage and culture requirements. A mixed-stage bottle is not a standardized nauplii-only feed. | View culture : Acartia tonsa Species guide: Acartia tonsa |
| Pseudodiaptomus pelagicusCalanoid with mixed habitat use | Water column / near-bottom habitat | Larger calanoid adult profile | A suitable microalgal feeding program | Progressive prey-size and specialized live-feed programs.Habitat use varies with life stage. Do not treat adults as exclusively open-water swimmers. | View culture : Pseudodiaptomus pelagicus Species guide: Pseudodiaptomus pelagicus |
| Oithona colcarvaSmall cyclopoid | Planktonic / water-column activity | Small adults; very fine naupliar prey | A validated, species-specific mixed diet | Specialized fine-prey and marine larviculture applications.Small size alone does not prove suitability for every coral or fish larva. Feed selection matters. | View culture : Oithona colcarva Species guide: Oithona colcarva |
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A mix is a format, not a guarantee.
A copepod blend combines species in one introduction. It does not guarantee that every included species will establish or remain in the same proportions.
Explore copepod blendsYour next step
Choose the culture.
Then size the plan.
The sizing guide considers aquarium volume and your goal. For dedicated cultures or larviculture, use a species-specific protocol.
Sources, scope & how to use this guide
These comparisons are qualitative decision aids, not laboratory measurements of the bottles being sold. Biological traits can vary with strain, life stage and culture conditions. Suggested applications are editorial guidance; they are not promises of establishment, survival, growth, coral recovery or a complete diet.
Product identity, price and availability come from the current product listing. Check that listing and its handling instructions before purchasing. A reference-only profile does not indicate a product is available for sale. No claim of axenic, sterile or pathogen-free cultures is implied.
- UF/IFAS — Choosing an Appropriate Live Feed for Larviculture of Marine Fish (opens in a new tab)
- Mass culture and offspring production of Tisbe biminiensis (2011) (opens in a new tab)
- Ballesteros-Redondo et al. — Microalgal diets and Apocyclops panamensis (2023) (opens in a new tab)
- Broach et al. — Baseline culture parameters for Oithona colcarva (2017) (opens in a new tab)
- Original description of Tigriopus sirindhornae (2013) (opens in a new tab)
- FAO — Manual on the Production and Use of Live Food: algal production (opens in a new tab)
- FAO — Hatchery Culture of Bivalves: algal culture (opens in a new tab)
- FAO — Nutritional value of microalgae (opens in a new tab)
- Bendif et al. — Description of Tisochrysis lutea (2013) (opens in a new tab)
- Silicon and Phaeodactylum tricornutum (2014) (opens in a new tab)
- UTEX — Phaeodactylum tricornutum LB 642 strain record (opens in a new tab)
- Latsos et al. — Rhodomonas salina culture, salinity and pH (2021) (opens in a new tab)
Guide prepared September 2026. For a hatchery or research protocol, confirm the supplied culture identity and stage-specific requirements directly with PodDrop.