Tigriopus californicus

[A_Lee]

I had a quick question about Tigger-Pods -particularly because many folks use this product to seed their tanks or refugiums with copepods.
I don't know everywhere they're found, or located, or even where RN, or RMC harvests it from; however someone brought to my attention that Tigriopus californicus is found right off shore of California, right here in the Pacific. I am assuming the temperature in the Pacific is not as warm as many of our tanks are -depending on who you speak to, anywhere from 75F to 82F.

How well do T. californicus realistically tend to fair in the "long term" (I know it's a little subjective), in our warmer, more "tropical" tanks being that they are harvested from generally cooler waters? How do the pods deal with the rapid change in temperature?

I was speculating that maybe Tigger-Pods is not using T. californicus harvested from the wild, but maybe utilizing a large controlled breeding population that is being sustained in warmer water (like in a uber big heated tank, which would allow for easier acclimation to our generally warmer tanks?). But again, only speculation I was hoping some light could be shed on this - that or, maybe I am overlooking something really obvious?
Thanks Gresh!

 

[GreshamH]

http://reefnutrition.com/tiggerpods/index.htm

They range from BC to Baja and they are NOT an oceanic copepod but rather an upper splash zone critter. The upper splash zone is the tidepools that get splashed the least. they can get up to the upper 90's most summer days with triple density salinity, ammonia off the charts, etc. They are incredibly strong and resilient animals. I've frozen them and brought them back with little death. I've kept them in 98f water for a few weeks with little death. They can be in 90f water, get hit with a wave and go to 50f in less then a second. This happens weekly in fact.

All ours have been aquacultured/acclimated to higher temps for many years now. In fact it is illegal to harvest them off the coast. thus far there has been only 1 permit to collect broodstock, guess who helped write it and who has it

 

[A_Lee]

wow, thanks Gresham, for clarifying! I had no clue they were so resilient!