[1] When the male senses a potential mate (likely through pheromones), it swims irregularly, alternating zig-zags with looping and figure eights.

[7] C. pacificus is a particle feeder,[8] feeding on plankton, copepod nauplii,[9] and marine snow.

[5] Examples of low quality food include Ptychodiscus brevis, which produces neurotoxins,[11] and Protoceratium reticulatum, which causes regurgitation or an elevated heart rate.

[5] C. pacificus can take advantage of marine snow as food, with aggregations of various compositions being responsible for between about .3 and 1.5 micrograms (4.6×10−6 and 2.31×10−5 gr) dry weight of fecal pellets copepod−1 hr−1 (per copepod per hour), at a maximum feeding rate.

Assuming a 70% assimilation efficiency, this species can ingest from .3 to 1.8 micrograms (4.6×10−6 to 2.78×10−5 gr) marine snow copepod−1 hr−1.