Oithona colcarva Live Copepods

Product Overview

Oithona colcarva is the ambush predator of the copepod world—a carnivorous cyclopoid species that hunts other microorganisms while serving as premium nutrition for reef fish and corals. These 0.6-0.9mm copepods exhibit unique "sit-and-wait" behavior, hovering motionless in the water column before rapid attack strikes. This hunting behavior creates distinctive movement patterns that trigger feeding responses in picky fish while their carnivorous diet concentrates nutrients and omega-3s beyond herbivorous copepod levels.

Perfect for advanced reefers seeking ecosystem complexity, Oithona adds a predatory component to your microfauna community. They naturally control other microorganism populations while converting that biomass into high-quality fish and coral food. The cyclopoid body structure and carnivorous nutrition create dense, protein-rich prey with exceptional fatty acid profiles. Oithona's temperate-tropical range (68-78°F) makes them adaptable to various system temperatures. Their intermediate size and unique behavior pattern fill ecological niches that standard herbivorous copepods don't occupy. Oithona arrives in actively feeding cultures, already exhibiting their characteristic hunting behavior.