Triops: tank log

[LilGreenPuffer]

Okay, I have a serious problem. One triops is acting severely disoriented and weak. It keeps trying to swim up, then drifting onto its back and landing upside-down. Since the first signs of disorientation showed up at the water change, I'm going to do a 100% water change this evening and see if something got into the last batch.

[Nick]

If you are suspect of your tap water, use fish tank water for the change. Triops are very tolerant of dissolved organic wastes, just not heavy metals or chemical pollutants.

[LilGreenPuffer]

I did a change with tap water a little while ago, and it seems to have gone over well. If they start acting funny again, tank water would be a great solution.

I'm actually thinking that it might make more sense in future just to use old tank water for the triops' fresh water. They won't care about the nitrates, and it'll save water and Prime.

[LilGreenPuffer]

All seems to be well now. Phew.

Eden Marel, the girl who sold me the eggs, said that I should start seeing egg sacs right around now. I'm keeping an eye out for a pair of small, circular sacs at the rear end of the carapace, one on each side. Squee!

[LilGreenPuffer]

Eeeeeeeeee!!! I have triops eggs!!! One of them is laying!

[J-P]

LOL!! your a dinosaur mommy!!

[LilGreenPuffer]

A dinosaur grandmommy!

Eden Marel told me that she harvests the eggs at her weekly water change, so that's what I'll do.

[Pufferpunk]

Are these the type of animal that die after reproducing?

[LilGreenPuffer]

Nope, they live an average of 30 to 50 days, and they'll lay as many eggs as possible between sexual maturity and death. Their clutches will get larger with age, too.

[LilGreenPuffer]

Okay... Here's a video of the alarming behavior from day 18.


Here's the egg-laying pictures and video from day 20!!!!! The triops made several pits, all the way down the side of the tank.

[LilGreenPuffer]

http://z7.invisionfree.com/The_Triops_Forum/index.php?

Come join us!!!

[LilGreenPuffer]

I did a 100% water change and harvested eggs! I saw about a bajillion, but I only bothered with the first fifty or so. I'll offer some eggs to any friends of mine who want them, and then I'll hatch out the rest and see what Thumbelina makes of them. I'll keep harvesting them every week, and I'll start saving them for experiments over the summer. I want to see the effects of filtration, different foods, etc. on them.

Most of the triops seem to have maxed out at 2", and they're shedding much less. One of them quit growing at 1".

I took pics, but I'm waiting for my camera battery to charge back up. When I do, I'll explain the egg-harvesting process.

ETA: Oh, and I added a nerite snail. They may or may not get along; we'll see. I saw a lot of algae-like stuff showing up over the week, so I thought that this small snail might help keep things looking nicer. And I added a little sprinkle of cuttlebone powder, too. Our water is rock-hard already, but a little extra calcium never hurt an invert...

[LilGreenPuffer]

Pictures of the egg harvest!

I drained the tank down to about 1.5" and removed the triops, plants, and hides.


I put them in another fish-safe container.


I stirred up the sand, let it settle, and looked for small white and pale pink/peach objects on top of the sand. You can barely see them. They're white specks in the sand.


I removed them with a syringe. Eden Marel told me to put the sand and water in a jar, swirl it and get the lightweight eggs at the center, and remove them with a turkey baster, but I don't have a jar or turkey baster, so I just stirred it up in the tank. Then I used my syringe to pick up eggs and detritus (and a little sand) and squirted them into another fish-safe container.


I drained off as much water as possible with the syringe. Now I'm letting the remaining 1/8th inch or so of water evaporate. Then I'll bag them up, freeze them for a few days to simulate winter (not necessary, but results in a higher hatch rate), and hatch them out!

[LilGreenPuffer]

The triops are laying like mad! I took a few more pictures today, to be uploaded later.

I've noticed that they REALLY enjoy Hikari Sinking Wafers. I have a bit of a grudge against Hikari because of the time when they increased the wheat content of, and added MSG to, their betta pellets, then lied about it, but they do make good triops foods.

Next time I bring out the frozen foods, I'll try them on some worms or mysis shrimp.

[~reefchik~]

Truly the strangest things I've seen in a long time. You sound like you're really having fun with them! I'm enjoying your log and photos very much.