Caring for Triops (How I Did It)

 

I had a kit of triops. They did not hatch I even did a review on them. But I wanted to try once more so I got a refill pack. They hatched! I do not know if I didn’t keep them warm enough last time or if the old eggs were too old. I don’t know, all I know is it worked this time. So I will tell you how I cared for my Triops.

I hate it when I have to go to 2, 3, 4 or sometimes more websites to find the information I want. I want to find all the information I


 need in one spot. That’s why I am compiling all the things I have learned, for you.

I had three Triops that hatched. One only made it about a day. The other two lived to be adults. One of them lived 30 days. The other lived a little longer, 46 days.  

How to Start Triops

Put spring water in the tank. Because we stored the water in a closet which is cooler. I would heat up the water in the microwave before I put it in the tank, about 30 seconds for every cup. Add any rocks etc. you get in your kit. Then add the eggs.

How to Hatch them

Make sure to keep them warm, within the range that the instructions say. Different types need different temperatures. Mine was between 72 and 84 degrees.

Keeping them Warm

If you like your house 72-84 degrees, this is not a problem but if you like your house cooler, like we do, then you will have to do something. This is what I did to keep them warm. During the day I would put them on the heating pad, and it doesn’t have to be on all day. I put it on and just checked it frequently. Once it got up to about 80 degrees I would turn it off and when it dropped to about 74 degrees, I would turn it back on. And keep doing that.

Personally I think the temperature does not matter that much once they are hatched, as long as they stay at about 70. But that is only my opinion.

Feeding

       

Feed them only when the food is gone out of the tank. I fed them once a day at first (your kit might come with baby triops food) if it does not crush some of the other food and feed it to them.

When they were about a week old I started feeding them the food not crushed. As they get bigger you will probably have to feed then 2-3 times a day.

Girl or Boy?

If it is a girl it will have what is called an egg sack. Boys will not. The egg sack is on their backs behind there feet. Kind of under the shell on their back. It is what will have the eggs in it. it is small round and pail. I had two girls.  

Water Changes

You will want to change a ¼ of the water out of the Triops tank at a time. It you have some sort of medicine syringe you can suck out the pieces of stuff in the water with that.

To filter the water you can use a kitchen strainer, fold up a paper towel and put it in the strainer. Scoop water and pour it though to strain the rest of the water.

Heat up some water to replace the water you took out. Make sure the water you put in is about the same temperature as the water in the tank. I changed my tank twice a week. But all you need to do is change the water when it is dirty.

Light

Put a lamp on them when there is no natural light. Use natural light when possible. Some people say you should have a light source on them 12 hours a day. But I found 2-4 hours a day is adequate, they might like more light than that but there not going to die if they don’t get the 12 hours.

Natural Death

Don’t be too sad when they die, because they have a short life. My Triops laid on it’s back all day. We could not figure out what it was doing. We found out later it was dying.

I can not guarantee  these methods will work for you. But I hope this helps you, and I hope you have fun. They are interesting creatures to watch. But they are sure messy too.

 

 Eating