Roadblock

Yet another short-lived batch - this one perishing within 20 days in the small UG-filter tank.

My suspicions are mounting - 3 "bad" batches in a row? Could the bottled water I'm using have changed in some way? Is 2 days alone (saturday and sunday) enough to kill healthy triops? Is there an elf with a very tiny fishing pole cavorting in the office?

On the bright side, I've heard a lot of great stories (part of which is summarized in the last entry's comments) about some really long-lived triops. For all of us here, it's a learning process. I for one am glad to have the chance to get all the good and bad info together. I almost have this "god" thing down.

I was thinking of packing up my triops junk for the year, but I thought, hey, I'm gonna be home a lot next month, and it's my birthday soon - why not take the little kit home and spring the 4 bucks for a new batch? Being home will allow me to care for the canniballistic critters more closely.

If I can manage to bond with the new batch in a deeper, more meaningful way, maybe they'll realize that eating eatch other isn't making the world a better place. I have also been working on a tiny morse code tapper, so I know exactly what's wrong when they're feeling like dying on me, in case it isn't obvious.

Sample conversation
Triops A: S O S
Me: copy that A. pls elaborate
Triops A: feeling wonky. pls assist
Me: define wonky
Triops A: tail disappearing. not sure cause. mayday mayday
Me: Triops B, instruction to stop eating A's tail at once
Triops B: yummy

Batches 4 and 5: The beginning

Here we go again!
EDIT: The last batch was a huge disappointment: only 3 hatchlings, 2 of which were weak and swimming sparsely right off the bat. They all tanked within 7 days. I'm not even going to bother posting any details. So that's my excuse for this dead entry!

I have a new batch (5) going since 10-7: many hatchlings and flying all over the place, chewing on the detritus and eating all that delectible crud. I supplemented with a crushed betta pellet this morning.

I bought a cheap 1-gallon setup with undergravel filtration for the critters once they've hardened themselves a bit - this is a first for me and I'm dying to see how it goes. (Yoinks... probably not a good choice of words condsidering my luck lately.)

And as always, keep posting your own Triops stuff. Jokes and comics too! Come on people, they're fun to draw.

Batch 3: Day 15

R.I.P. Batch 3
This seemed to be a weak batch. They never would have made it through corporate phone training.

Check back in June for the news on Sharkey's sand-hatching. Also, I'm going to try to order a different "brand" of triops on the internet. In the meantime, I may come back to post drawings or comics.

If anyone's got pictures or stories to share, leave a comment on this post!

Batch 3: Day 12

Remaining monsters: 2
The lonely triops (pictured below on Day 9) is now swimming among the stars. I put the remaining 2 into the larger bowl at the end of Day 10, and fished out Lonely's swiftly greening corpse. I guess his potential for greatness beyond the tank drove him to a quiet madness, and eventually, a watery grave (I only wish I had taken a picture, but I was afraid I'd lose my lunch).

Looper doesn't seem to be having a problem with his tail anymore; in fact, he's developed a nifty white ring around the upper part. He's also experimenting with different dance techniques, and has become quite a showoff.

And finally, the sand of the late legend Sharkey has been completely dry for quite sometime now; I will hopefully be hatching some behemoth Sharkeys in early June.

Day 12 highlights - Looper's anomaly, Sharkey's sand (riveting!), and Looper's Dance Techniques vol. 2:
          

Batch 3: Days 9 & 10

I present to you the situation thus far in Seussian verse:

I hope I'm not the only one
who thinks that hatching shrimps is fun.
To aid my newest monster zoo,
I split the one batch into two;
Though I had hoped for many more,
the triops hatched but numbered four;
Alas - a weekend killing spree!
Remaining monsters number three.

Day 9 - a lonely triops dreams of the wide-open spaces beyond his glass prison:


Day 10 - the movie features Looper in his first-ever techno video:
    

Of note: For days, Looper's his tail has been semi-stuck in an upward-curved position. I enjoy laughing at handicaps as much as anyone, but let's try to be sensitive.

Batch 3: Day 2

Hatchlings in both tanks:
  

Batch 3: Day 1

While Sharkey's sand is drying in the sun, I'm starting another batch. I'm splitting it up into 2 containers for starters; I figure the bigger hatchlings won't be able to get at most of their pals that way.

Day 1 setup - 2 small hatching tanks: