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.
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59 comments:
you must really like Triops
I'm a big fan of aquatic oddities.
Also, this is something to keep my co-workers and I entertained in the office without getting in trouble. Triops are much easier to explain than a puppy. :o)
~M
I'm gearing up for my second round of fun with them. Have you had much success keeping the water somewhat see through? I end up in murky water central. 8)
ZTrooper @ Livejournal
I ALWAYS end up with nasty water. My friend hatches hers side-by-side with mine, and her water is clear as a bell.
Either way they should be fine for the first few days (there are lots of munchies in the crud). After they're old enough to eat a couple of food pellets, I start changing the water bit by bit - 20% at a time, using bottled drinking water. After about 15 days, I transfer the remaning triops (usually 1 or 2) to completely new water of the same temperature.
It's ok for the water to get a little green - these guys naturally live in dirty puddles. But if you want to keep the water clearer so you can see them better, I'd recommend small water changes daily early on, larger ones after they're a little hardier.
~M
Sounds reasonable. I need to get some good sand though for the next batch. I want to make sure they have a place to lay their eggs that won't be easily dug up by their tankmates and turned into Triop Omellete snacks.
I'm also thinking about starting up another batch of Sea Monkeys. They're amusing little low maintenance water pets too, and the water doesn't get icky quite so quickly.
I've also heard that depending on how much you filter it, you can put Triops into tanks with powered filters to keep the debris in the water down, but of course, don't run it all the time, or you'll filter out all the nutrients and assorted crud munchies.
I've seen some online pictures of triops in small aquariums, and even in aquariums with other fish (once they'd grown quite large of course)! It's pretty cheapo to pick up a 1-gallon setup at a department store. If you do, let me know how it goes for ya!
Speaking of Sea Monkeys, Danielle and I got a surprise when her batch started growing... currently she's got 2 triops and a fairy shrimp, all about the same size. (Sea Monkeys are basically mutated fairy shrimp.) I can't believe that guy hasn't been eaten. :oD
I may look into it. I was on the www.triops.cc website, where you can get the European species of Triops, and I'm thinking I'll get a packet of those, and leave my American Triops in their eggs for the moment. A basic 1 Gal tank setup will probably be in my future too. I liked my TriOps before, but I want to be able to SEE them.
I dunked the instant life packet for the Sea Monkeys at lunch today, about 5 or 6 hours early, so, eh, I once again didn't see any instant hatching, but I'll check again when I get home.
Ztrooper @ Livejournal.com
Do tell me how the Eur-ops (haha) work out if you get them! I'd been thinking of ordering from there as well - I really like that site.
Will do. I scouted out some 1 gallon kits and found Petsmart has some 1 gallon sets with undergravel filters and lights for 9.99. I'll have to see if I can get them locally or if I'll have to mail order them. They look ideal for my purposes. Also, I found there's an Austrailian species of Triops! For sale under the name "Billabong Bugs"... unfortunately, they can't or don't support exports yet. (Something about licenses to export native aussie wildlife being really pricey)... I dunno though.. I think I'd like a shot at getting some of those. My inlaws are going to Australia later this year.... Mebbe they can locate a shop or something. Here's hoping.
Ztrooper @ livejournal.com
One other Q. How do you get such clear, closeup shots of the Triops? those are some of the best images of the little buggers I've ever seen.
Ztrooper
Hey again... did some searching online, and unless I'm misreading things, I think I can purchase a 1 time export/import permit for 30 dollars AUS, that may let me legaly obtain the Triops Aus. species. I'm sending off some e-mails to see if I can get more details.
Ztrooper
http://www.crusta10.de/index.php?sideid=galerie&showid=T
Neat images of some more obscure african and asian triops. Gorgeous!
-ZTrooper
Ahhhh... these photos are beautiful, though some aren't enlarging when I click. I wish I could get a closer look at the African species.
Haha! For 20-odd US dollars, that's not a bad deal, assuming your imports are healthy. In that case you'd better perfect the small-aquarium setup with our cheaper, indigenous species! :oD
~M
Hi there,
I'm a first time Triops owner and managed to hatch a fairy brine shrimp, a daphnia and two triops. Needless to say the daphnia and shrimp disappeared really quickly. Can cope with that but came home today and found that Scary had eaten his little pal, Lazy. Scary is swimming around his tank without a care in the world. His insouciance isdisturbing.......
*chuckle*
So, what kind of kit did you get that had daphnia and fairy shrimp in it?
And yes. Triops have two functions.. eat anything they can get their mouth on, and reproduce. 8). Hopefully, your remaining one is either female, or herm, and you'll still get eggs.
Ztrooper
Hi Ztrooper,
It was a packet with the picture of massive triops swimming up to greet(?) tyrannosaurus rex and pterosaur. Anyway, the eggs came in a capsule marked "pure triops eggs" (Hah), so I guess i could complain about mislabelling, but alas, the evidence has disappeared down Scarey's gullet.
Cheers
Kitkat a.k.a. First time Triops owner
Kitkat:
LOL! Scary indeed. Perhaps you should name your next slow swimmer "Run For Your Life". Thatt might warm him to the idea it's "eat or be eaten".
ZTrooper here is a wealth of knowledge, and I'm looking forward to hearing more from him soon. Keep an eye out; he's got some interesting critters on the way from all over the globe. :o)
And of course: welcome to the incredibly addictive world of triops-raising.
~M
Wow.. I had no such luck with the kit of Triops I got. Just four lil triops skittering around in my hatching tank at the moment.
Hopefully, Scary is female, so you'll get some eggs for the next go around. You'll be seeing them fairly soon. They'll look like little clusters of pink-ish bb's under the back sets of legs. I'm currently experimenting with a couple types of aquarium setups to see which ones work best for raising triops in a relatively murky water free environment. I hope things go well for you. If not, it's only a few bucks to get a new 'kit'. So far, this batch has been pretty forgiving, with water getting up close to 82 degrees, which is near the top end of their hatching range. I was reading that ideally, it should be about 76-ish degrees, but your milage may vary.
Ztrooper
Thanks M. Have enjoyed your blog immensely. I took up fishkeeping as a hobby about 6 weeks ago but seem to have been sidetracked into the weird and wonderful world of Triops. I was cycling a new fish tank and have three minnows at present …not supposed to add anything else for a month so decided to keep Triops in the meantime (not in the same tank I hasten to add). I must admit I’m finding the critters more interesting than fish, its hard to resist something with three eyes on top of its head and breathes through its feet! Z: Thanks for the info. I’ve been checking Scary’s underside whenever possible and can’t see anything yet. Scary is 12 days old. And spends most of her/his time digging in the sand. I hope this is maternal behaviour.
KitKat
Most Triops won't lay eggs till around 14 days, so it's still a bit early for you to be seeing them. The digging is a combination of maternal type behaviour, and searching for things to eat. 8)
Thank you. I'm in the midst this morning of setting up my 'permanent' triop tank. My wife and I washed the sand and treated the tank water, and have the new over the side tank filter going full tilt to clear the water up. I figure by the time I'm ready to start transferring triops, the tank should be quite settled down, chemically. This also will be my first test of a tank that has treated tap water. (which is why I'm using walmart triops, instead of some of the more obscure species.. don't want to lose those to a tank accident). My current batch seem to be doing very well. 8)
Ztrooper @ Livejournal
A filter is a great idea. No more murky water. I have to keep changing Scary's water every 48 hours or I can't see him. Buying spring water is getting expensive but I don't dare risk using treated London tap water on Scary... heck, I don't even like drinking the stuff myself...it makes for a revolting cup of tea.
Good luck with your walmart triops!
Kitkat.
ps Scary has flipper shaped appendages - are those where the eggs are carried?
Hi again Kitkat! I could use a spot of tea myself tonight, it's positively dreary outside.
Anyway, very possible your triops has got itself some developing eggs. I took some pictures that might help you locate and identify; the pictures are at THIS POST.
ZTrooper: I hope your batch is doing well after their little spill. (-.-)
I am waiting a bit to post something new myself, as our last 2 batches were wiped out almost overnight. It really wasn't worth the post at all, weak little beasties! I'm starting again, with a 1-gallon setup with undergravel filter. I am chalking it up to too much sunlight/heat.
~M
Sorry to hear your last couple of batches didn't make it. If you're going all the way to having a full blown aquarium, I'd suggest hitting up walmart or a pet shop for one of those micro-aquarium heaters, if you are having issues with water getting too cold. They can be had for like, 5 bucks or less, and will help stabilize your tank temps. If it's water getting too warm... then it gets harder to deal with. As for hatching, I'm finding great success using those new ziplock 500ml storage containers that have the 'leak resistant' screw on tops. (I'm not putting the lid on them. )
As for hatching instructions, the mytriops site had good instructions. I filled the little ziplock container to about 6cm in height, then put the lid on the container and shook the living daylights out of it for about 5 minutes (this is to oxygenate the distilled water that had been in the 1 gallon plastic container). THEN I added the packet of eggs and detritus. I had critters swimming around in under 12 hours. Not only that, I have 3 different species of critters. I'm reasonably sure one is daphnia, and I'm trying to figure out what the third is, but I definitely have 5 triops in there, too. (And this is post spill. they are all doing swimmingly, thanks for asking.) I'm pretty excited about trying to figure out what other critters I have in the hatching tank. The first hatching tank has 2 triops now, both around 1cm, and doing well. According to some breeders on the mailing list, I need to wait till they're about 10 days old before attempting to transfer them to my aquarium. I'll keep you posted as to how that goes.
Ztrooper
Kittykat... for hatching, distilled, or spring water is best... once they've grown up though, you should be able to use tap water that has been conditioned and de-chlorinated. You should be able to get a liquid that will properly treat the tap water from any pet store. The distilled/spring water is only required for creating the necessary low osmotic pressure to encourage the eggs to hatch. Beyond that, you should be able to treat them like most any other fresh water aquarium pet. I will let you know how my transfer to the full size aquarium goes later this weekend.
Ztrooper
Z - Thanks for the tip. Treated tap water worked fine.
M and Z: At 8.15 am this morning, Scary laid eggs - Triops Caviar! I was so proud of her.
I used a straw to suction up the eggs and put them in a paper cup - there's a little water in there. I guess I'll let them dry and then hatch them in a couple of weeks.
I definitely have the triops bug now.
:)
Kitkat
Yay! I just transfered my two hatchings to our 10 gallon aquarium. I have 9 Triops scuttling about the tank.
Word to the wise, make sure, if you use an over the side type filter that you use a very fine grate/mesh/cover on it. One of my larger ones got sucked into the filter within a couple hours! The lil guy was safely returned to the tank, however. I'm going to see if I can find a cover with a smaller mesh to prevent a repeat before I turn it back on. To be honest, I think a corner filter or undergravel will be best.
How tough was it to spot the eggs?
Ztrooper @ Livejournal
http://ztrooper.livejournal.com
(there are some triops groups there too, if you're looking for more to read up on them.)
Your tank is awesome. 9 triops! Wow. That will be some sight when they are all full grown. Will you plant your tank? I use the mainly use mytriops.com for info.
I'm not sure if I'm ready to get a proper tank set up for triops yet - trying to get the fish tank right first.
Egg spotting - Not hard, because I had a fantastic stroke of luck and saw her lay the eggs. She swum up to the side of the tank and released several little pink eggs. They stood out against the sand so it wasn't too hard to siphon them out. She was carrying eggs again for two days, the just laid some more this morning in almost the same spot. Didn't see her lay them this time though.
KK
Woops! Typo there. 8, not 9. They all seem to be doing well, though the littlest one of the group doesn't seem all that adept at locating food. (Probably why he's the smallest of the batch. 8))
That's good about the eggs being easy to spot. I've got white reef sand, which they seem to be enjoying digging around in immesely. It's either that, or the stuff is covered with stuff they find to be tasty. In any event, as soon as I can get ahold of a better camera for closeups, I shall try to get some better images for people to see.
Ztrooper
Just to report Scary died yesterday:
I found him lying on his back in the morning, very feeble - died not after. He lived 26 days and measured two and a half inches from tip to tip. He was very fine pet and leaves behind an untold number of eggs. Requiescat in pace.
kitkat
They are short lived beasties, but, having left eggs, you're all set to start again once they dry out. Bravo. 8)
I'm having some issue in my tank right now. I'm not sure what is going on, but I doubt it is good. 8(
Keep up the good work though!
Ztrooper
Kitkat: Oh, poor Scary. :o)
Do you happen to have any pictures of him? 2.5 inches is an admirable size; you should be proud!
Z: What is your tank issue? I just picked up a 1-gallon UG system to set up for my tinies once they've reached a hardy size, and I'd like to know any related issues in advance.
Sorry about the dead blog post - I haven't been updating it becaue my last batch was a complete dud: deformed and weak. I'm going to edit the post with pictures and updates of my current healthy (so far) batch of T. Canc, and their transfer into the 1-gallon.
I love to hear stories. Keep posting comments as I always read them. :o)
~M
Okay... Here's the probable scoop on what happened to my critters.
Ammonia in the water. Having a filter setup, I thought water changes would not be required. Bzzt. wrongo. The tank is too new to be properly established. There are little bacteria that eat the ammonia cast off from living things and decaying biomass and ammonia is bad for aquatic life. So, no bacteria=ammonia buildup and eventual death of critters. Now, once the bacteria get established and eat the ammonia, they convert it to nitrites. Those are ALSO lethal to aquatic life. However, there is a second type of bacteria that converts nitrites into harmless nitrates that plants and algae just love to eat.
How do you get those bacteria into your tank? either slowly introduce fishies or other aquatics to the tank, like 1 a week or so, *or* run, don't walk to the store and get yourself some Cycle (it's a bottle of bacteria cultures that you can introduce to the tank directly).
If you don't have plans on having the tank stablized long term, then the Cycle is good to start with, but you can always just do *regular* water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels down to safe. Ideally, you should have zero ammonia and zero nitrites, and moderate levels of nitrates.
Ztrooper
Welcome to the Nitrogen cycle in a closed aquatic system :o)
With this in mind, perhaps you should check on your bettas!
~M
The Betta? heh. he's been in his tank for like, a year and a half? We used to have a divider and a second betta (5 gal tank w/ over the side filter), but he got a case of popeye, and treatment was ineffective. My daughter takes care of our remaining betta, and the lil guy is doing swimmingly. Actually, he's pretty darn big for a betta.
In other news, my triops tank appears to be stabilized, at least, no more deaths, and several successful molts...
ZTrooper
Gah! tested the water last night, and it was freakin too high on ammonia again. Changed out 50%-ish of the water, got it down to 1ppm. going to repeat tonight. GAH. stupid ammonia.
Lost another one last night. my gimpy, only has one tail barb triops.
And then there were 5.
ZTrooper
Z:
Alas, poor Gimpy! We knew him well.
I've got 5 as well, rooting around feverishly in their gravel.
If you do add some live plants, keep some notes on their reactions for us. :>
~M
Another test, 1ppm at lunch. another 50% water change, down to .5ppm according to the next test. Nitrites at .25ppm.
No new plants as of yet.
I *think* I saw what may have been eggs in a few spots on the sand. However, they're all scrambled up in the substrate now since the water change. The triops all still had their egg sacs though, as far as I could tell. I continue to observe.
The eating/voracious appetite of the triops appears to have dropped off considerably. I'm down to 1 feeding a day, and a couple algae thins.
Z
Hi! I love your Triops site! It's been very cool to read the last few days :)
I am a new triops owner. I think. Well, I recently got into the hobby. I put the eggs in a 1gallon hatching tank Sunday night, and Tuesday morning I had little creatures(maybe from 4-6, I forget) swimming in the tank :) They're still really small though, so I'm not sure if they're triops, other shrimp, or a little of both. My idea is to, when the time is right(7-10 days, as I've seen on other websites) transfer them(whoever's left)into my 1gallon Undergravel-filter tank.
Having said all that, I have a question: Do you(or anyone) know of a website that gives a day-to-day chart of how big a triops should be, etc.? Like, on Day 1 Triops is this size, on Day 2 Triops is this size, etc. So I know how to keep track of if they're growing properly(and if, in fact, my shrimpies really are the triops)?
Whelp, 24 days since I had 8 triops in my tank, and now there are 4 mega beasties still wandering the tank. On the up side, there are eggs everywhere in that tank. I'll have more than enough to start subsequent generations. On the down side, in experimenting with foods to feed them, I put in some Top Fin algae thins. they love'em, but now, I've got algae growing all over my tank. 8-\. I thought about getting a pleco or other algae eater, but then I wondered if while he/she is cruising the tank, he might eat the triops eggs, which would be no good. Guess I'll have to get me an algae scraper...
Also, the water's gotten cloudy, which means I think that the tank is finally nearing the end of the cycle, and the water will be 'fishie' safe. 8)
-ZTrooper
tap tap tap tap....
Is this thing on?
-Z
The last of my T. Long batch have given up the ghost. Now I have a tank full of algae and lots and lots of triops eggs.
let the drying and sorting begin.
Ztrooper
Gareth - indeed, there are some real triops fanatics out there. Luckily, some more informative people have left lots of helpful information here. Kudos to all of you!
~M
Goodness, this post has lots of comments! I hate to have neglected anyone.
CHAD - it's probably been far too long. That I know of there are no sites that specifically state triops growth. In fact, growth can vary DRAMATICALLY depending on countless environmental factors. But for general reference, the first few days should be quite tiny, and 14 days should have them around a half inch (others; chime in if you'd like).
As soon as you are able to see the beasties, you should be able to tell immediately whether or not they are triops. They have the same body shape from hatching on, though color may vary from pale white to pink to green and so forth. So if you see some tiny thing that is alive but doesn't look like a triops, it's probably a cyclops or fairy shrimp.
also, I would wait a minimum of 10 days (14 is better) before transferring. Also, keep a bit of their old water to decrease the shock of moving them. If the water gets super-nasty in that time, just change it a little at a time, maybe a cup.
Best of luck, all!
-M
its day 4 ov my triops n i need sum help:
1.i cant see then
2.i still have dirt frm the packet off eggs in the
3. i dont now if im allowed to get the dirt out
4. plz could sum 1 help its ma first lot of triops.
the tank and every fink i have for them r called triop world
plz sum 1 help
Whoa, I can barely understand your questions. Please don't use chatspeak. :)
1. If your eyes aren't very keen, wait a few more days and the triops will grow. Keep the water still and watch very, very closely for tiny movement.
2 & 3. Leave the dirt ("detritus") in the water for now; the triops feed from it. It should not be clouding the water and is probably floating along the rim; this is normal. After you begin feeding them food pellets, you may carefully skim the detritus from the surface with a spoon.
4. Relax and enjoy, but take care - these are living breathing creatures. I wish you the very best of luck. :) :)
Thanks alot for the Cycling info, it was helpful! ^.^
A good Triops site is the http://mytriops.com/
You should subscribe to their mailing list so u can ask other triops owners any question u need answers for. I'm in it!
I tried to hatch my second batch of Triops. Sadly, they hatched and soon died. I sent for a replacement kit and put them in warm spring water and hoped for the best.
However, I'm in the mountains in a dorm room where three other people control the air conditioner. So...if it were up to me I'd turn it up to like 80 degrees, but I can't.
So I put a lamp over it, but then I remembered it was an LED lightbulb which gave off less heat than the regular kind.
What can I do to raise the temperature of my water? Just buy a regular bulb?
Vonda:
Yes, that is a good idea; get a regular 40 or 60 watt lightbulb, a cheap gooseneck desk lamp (you can get one for 5 bucks), and adjust the distance between the bulb and water until the temperature is right. If you want to go a step further, get a floating aquarium thermometer (glass with a suction cup) and lay it in the container for a more accurate reading of the water temperature.
Good luck! :)
~M
hi i just got triops today from argos :) (triop world)
it says to empty half of the bag of eggs in only but i went and put all the bag in and its kinda covered all the top of the water with browny mud which contains the eggs. have i put to much in and will it effect my triops hatching ?
J-P
J-P:
I would guess that they suggested adding half of the eggs so you'd have a "practice" round.
The "mud" is detritus - a mix of tiny scraps of wood and nutrient-rich crud that will feed the miniature triops as they grow. The microbial treats in the muck are the only thing that will fit in their tiny little mouths!
Also, don't worry if the dirt clings to the sides of your container. It will settle, or you can sift it out once the Triops get big enough to feed pellet foods.
I wouldn't worry that you added all of the eggs - you'll just have to get it right the first time! Many of the creatures will eat each other anyway, so if you end up with a lot of healthy hatchlings, you may want to separate them into a couple of continers. I suggest waiting at least 14 days from when you first see them swimming around before moving them.
Best of luck! (^_^)
~M
i decided to get another container and try it again
i added half the eggs this time :P
and i got better water
one thing im worried about is the thermometer i used was washed by detox last time, but it was ages ago probs over 2 years. Any chance this might do sumit to my triops and stop them hatching because i heard chemicals kill them really easy ? im really worried now :S
I'm a triops fan!!
but i have some ?'s beforre my riops get here
1.) how long should the cage be?
2.) Will triops lay eggs on gravel or fake plants?
3.)
My triops hatched
i saw 4 tiny specks moving along i named them'
Steve erin
Posiden
Kimico
bindy
can someone answer this question because im so scared what i saw, i got triop world kit and in the triop food theres greeni bits in there and theres LOADS OF LITTLE BUGS IN THE BAG I DONT KNOW WHAT THE HELL IT IS, and whatever it is can i feed it to my 3 day old triops because i heard they are omnivoiress???
I'm 12 years old and on day 2 of my triops lives I saw 5 swimming but a cupple hours later they dissapeared! Now its day three and theirs no movement...do you think more will hatch there is more eggs in there but what happened to the first batch?? Please help.
I have my first batch and only one hatched and her name is belle and she is almost one month old now.
But I don't think she has moulted yet but is swimming around her tank perfectly well and I am feeding her twice a day and she layed a few eggs today so I am really proud of her is she healthy?
From allannah jane
Sorry all! I will try to answer everyone's questions even though they were from 2009. I'm very sorry to have ignored anyone, I wasn't aware anyone was posting anymore. :)
Anonymous thermometer: I think that as long as your thermometer is glass and you rinse it off well, you shouldn't have to worry about chemicals leeching into the new water.
gbywet: I love the names you gave your triops. How long did they live? When they are ready, they dig into the substrate (sand, gravel, etc.) and deposit their eggs there. Their tank can be as long as you want, something even 8 inches wide would be fine, preferably clear glass. Remember they don't need a lot of depth to their water either.
Anonymous bugs: It sounds like you got a contaminated bag of food! Gross! I hope you called the company for a replacement. Were the bugs tiny? I'm sure if the triops were large enough, they may or may not try to eat the bugs; I can say mine did NOT eat the gnats that landed in their water. :P
Becky: Hello! Any number of things may have happened - their water may have become too hot or too cold. A chemical could have gotten into the water (air freshener, cleanser, soap, perfume, hairspray, etc.). Or they simply may just have been a "bad luck batch". They were too little to eat each other at that point. Don't give up; if you have more eggs, try again. :)
Allannah: it sounds like your triops is doing great! One month is a nice age. Remember that when Belle passes away, you can let the water evaporate out and you can hatch her eggs later. I'd love to see photos!
Ciao for now everyone!! Thank you for writing! (^_^)
~Meech
Today I found a her shedded skin and it was head tail and everything else so now I know she is moulting well I will take some pictures for you and I will post asap.
From allannah jane
Hi I have some pics but I Don't know how I upload them from Allannah jane
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