Anyone know about Triops?

Dwarf Puffers

Dwarf Puffers

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Dec 11, 2006
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Well, I've seen them on aquabid and I've heard Noto mention them.

But I'd really like to know more about them. Before this, I had only heard of them as a "sea monkeys" kind of deal. I find them very interesting, some of them even attractive, and I'd love to know more about them, especially because the guy selling them on aquabid lives in canada :)

So, how long do they live? Do they breed well? Are they carnivorous (I wouldnt want to have a 2-4" invert eating my other fish)? Thanks.
 
Triops are not sea monkeys.... I believe that sea monkeys were brine shrimp.


A few years back I bought little triops kits for my nephews (for like $14 USD each). It came with a tiny little clear plastic box that you filled with water and then dumped in the eggs. Once they hatched I think that they only lived a few weeks, but that may have been because the little plastic box was probably a less than ideal habitat. I believe that they got to be 3/4" inches long give-or-take.

I think I got them at Fosters & Smith, but I don't know if they sell them anymore. You can check Amazon.com to compare prices.
 
They actually sell the little boogers at Hobby Lobby in the checkout impulse-buy rack.

Triops, or tadpole shrimp, are crustaceans with a dormant-egg phase to their life cycle, like brine shrimp and fairy shrimp. They have a variety of reproductive behaviors, including normal sexual reproduction, parthenogenesis (female develops unfertilized eggs with full genetic complement), and hermaphroditic interfertilization. The eggs must be allowed to dry out before hatching.

Triops mature in about 10 days from hatching, and can live about one or two months. They feed on fine organic matter, including algae, detritus, and insect larvae.
 
Madcrawdad said:
Triops are not sea monkeys.... I believe that sea monkeys were brine shrimp.
Click to expand...

Yes, I meant triop kits are the same idea as sea monkeys.

Ah, thanks Noto. Probably not worth it to breed them continually :(
 
Dwarf Puffers said:
Yes, I meant triop kits are the same idea as sea monkeys.

Ah, thanks Noto. Probably not worth it to breed them continually :(
Click to expand...

especially since you'd need to dry out the eggs... it might be a neat little project for you to do the kit, but definitely not something worth keeping in an aquarium. If you're interested in putting bugs in your aquarium, maybe you can try scuds or fish lice :D
 
I do it twice a year for my boys. they love these guys!! its fun and I found a great trick to keep them alive 5 times longer!!! I put them in a five gallon container no subtrate and I put in a little log of somethign for them to swim on. every 4 days I take out most of the water in there and add most of it back from my tanks!! they thrive very well and eat up a storm. I feed them soft pellets my ram eats. there are a lot you can raise in different stages and I believe feed t oyuor fish :)
 
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