Triops Care?

[Neutral-Waterinos]

hey does anyone have bad experiences with Triops? I plan on getting some for my 10 gallon, I know they eat plants but can I put in some hardy ones like duckweed Hornwort vallisneria etc? I couldn’t find the place on this forum for Triops so I don’t know where to post

 

[maggie thecat]

@BillynJennifer keeps them. Hopefully they'll jump in.

 

[Fanatic]

@Keystone

 

[BillynJennifer]

hey does anyone have bad experiences with Triops? I plan on getting some for my 10 gallon, I know they eat plants but can I put in some hardy ones like duckweed Hornwort vallisneria etc? I couldn’t find the place on this forum for Triops so I don’t know where to post

I have some Triops going right now. I have 2 that I are adults and are laying eggs all the time. You'll want to start them out in a small dish and then transfer them later to your 10 gallon. As for the types of plants you want to use, they will probably eat duckweed and hornwort since they are a softer plant, but valls are a bit tougher and would probably do fine. Just remember, they will only live for about 45-50 days, so you'll be restarting you tank often or you can just hatch new ones and add to your aquarium in place of the old ones.

 

[Keystone]

I never had problems with them eating live plants. They are omnivores and will eat anything, but they prefer meat to plants when adults. Mine loved freeze dried gammarus & bloodworms. They would nibble on frozen or blanched carrots & spinach, but only when nothing else was available

 

[BillynJennifer]

I never had problems with them eating live plants. They are omnivores and will eat anything, but they prefer meat to plants when adults. Mine loved freeze dried gammarus & bloodworms. They would nibble on frozen or blanched carrots & spinach, but only when nothing else was available

If kept well fed, they will altogether leave your plants alone.

 

[Neutral-Waterinos]

I have some Triops going right now. I have 2 that I are adults and are laying eggs all the time. You'll want to start them out in a small dish and then transfer them later to your 10 gallon. As for the types of plants you want to use, they will probably eat duckweed and hornwort since they are a softer plant, but valls are a bit tougher and would probably do fine. Just remember, they will only live for about 45-50 days, so you'll be restarting you tank often or you can just hatch new ones and add to your aquarium in place of the old ones.

So is it true they need a sand substrate to breed? What if I made it out of gravel, and when I want them to breed I place in a container with sand in it and they can breed and collect in there. Won’t triops cause massive ammonia spikes once dead? Kinda dangerous if you ask me

 

[BillynJennifer]

So is it true they need a sand substrate to breed? What if I made it out of gravel, and when I want them to breed I place in a container with sand in it and they can breed and collect in there. Won’t triops cause massive ammonia spikes once dead? Kinda dangerous if you ask me

Triops spend nearly 100% of their time digging. If they are on gravel, they won't be able to dig very well which will stress them out. I've never tried putting a container of sand in with them for breeding and digging purposes. I lost one of my Triops last night and the other is well on it's way out since they're getting some age on them. I am going to try a breeding/digging container with some of the eggs that were laid. As far as dead Triops, I would treat them as anything else. If it's dead, get it out before it becomes an ammonia bomb.

 

[Keystone]

Agree with above - I always keep them on a sand substrate with leaf litter. Also agree about removing the dead, but in my experience they eat the dead before you can remove them in most cases

 

[BillynJennifer]

My last Triop is probably not going to make it through the night. As soon as it is gone, I'm going to start the dry out process and start all over again. Going to try to get as many raised to adulthood this time.

 

[Neutral-Waterinos]

Triops spend nearly 100% of their time digging. If they are on gravel, they won't be able to dig very well which will stress them out. I've never tried putting a container of sand in with them for breeding and digging purposes. I lost one of my Triops last night and the other is well on it's way out since they're getting some age on them. I am going to try a breeding/digging container with some of the eggs that were laid. As far as dead Triops, I would treat them as anything else. If it's dead, get it out before it becomes an ammonia bomb.

But won’t they just breed profusely on a sand substrate? I don’t want them over taking the entire tank so how do a I counter this? Is there a way I can harvest the eggs they lay in there?

 

[BillynJennifer]

But won’t they just breed profusely on a sand substrate? I don’t want them over taking the entire tank so how do a I counter this? Is there a way I can harvest the eggs they lay in there?

They will lay many eggs, but very, very few can hatch in that same cycle. They will have to be completely dried out before they will hatch and start the life cycle. As far as harvesting eggs, I gather the sand along the outside of the container as that will be where the majority of the eggs are. I dry that sand out and use a teaspoon of that sand in a new container of water when I'm ready start again. I always have a lot of algae left over on the sand from the previous cycle, so that the new Triops have food ready for them when they start to eat.

 

[Neutral-Waterinos]

They will lay many eggs, but very, very few can hatch in that same cycle. They will have to be completely dried out before they will hatch and start the life cycle. As far as harvesting eggs, I gather the sand along the outside of the container as that will be where the majority of the eggs are. I dry that sand out and use a teaspoon of that sand in a new container of water when I'm ready start again. I always have a lot of algae left over on the sand from the previous cycle, so that the new Triops have food ready for them when they start to eat.

I see thanks so much for the help! I definitely look forward to them. Just a tad sad I can’t have a planted tank with them : (

 

[BillynJennifer]

I see thanks so much for the help! I definitely look forward to them. Just a tad sad I can’t have a planted tank with them : (

As long as you keep them feed otherwise, they probably won't bother your plants.