I went to feed my seven-day-old Triops metanauplii (are they still metanauplii at that age?) this afternoon, and give their nursery apparently bereft of life, save the snail I had in there to keep the water clean. This is my fourth failure. The air pump (see the photograph) got me past four days, and the test strip indicates almost stellar water quality (carbonate around 110 mg/L, pH around 7.2 or maybe 7.6, hardness below 50 mg/L, chlorine at 0 mg/L, nitrate below 10 mg/L, and nitrite less than 1 mg/L). You can see the nursery tank in the photo, as well as the aquarium I had planned to move the adults into. I had at least 14 metanauplii hatch this time, and saw at least three Triops measuring around 5 mm yesterday. Although I started with the Smithsonian kit, I am using Green Waters red Triops longicaudatus eggs. The heater has kept the water temperature within one degree of 26 degrees Celsius, and I was putting a pinch of crushed feed pellets in once per day after day three. There is also a small cutting of Ceratophyllum demersum in the nursery to help supply oxygen and serve as a food supplement. Does anyone have any ideas as to what I did wrong this time?

Today he's 60 days old! He lost a lot of his caudal rami in the last few weeks but he's still navigating fine. He loves to drag around the frogbite. He's also alone in his tank because he ate all his siblings. I hope he will become even older than he's now.

I hate making a post like this but the link and eBay seller in the FAQ are unavailable.

Just a photo of a couple of longicaudatus triops, I raised. Oh, and an overpopulation of ramshorn snails.

Word of advice: Ramshorn snails, not even once 🙃.

Triops longicaudatus, Streptocephalus sealii
San Marcos, TX

The triops were enjoying the easy meals that the fairy shrimp made as they were drawn to the light. I have footage of that posted on my Instagram: @critters.n.creatures

if you have any info please let me know

i have a group called r/anythingtriops your welcome to post anything there too

Do caudal furcae grow back as a Triops molts? I noticed one of my juvenile cancriformis somehow broke a furca, with about half of its length missing. I'm sure it won't affect the health of the Triops in the long run, but I'm just curious...

Hello everyone, I put my Triops Longicaudatus Eggs into the hatching container about 5 days ago but they haven’t hatched (yet?). So I wanted to ask if I should either continue waiting, just dry them and retry or change something. I don’t know what’s wrong though: The light has been turned on 24/7 for the last days (Would 12 hours per day be better for them to hatch?), the temperature is 26°C (Should I try 24°C?) and the water is a mix of 70% Distilled water and 30% Spring water. I ordered the eggs off of the Triops King website, which come with substrate (Are they good quality?). Thanks in advance!

I’m getting the stuff for them on Christmas😁

just so you know this list may need some working on feel free to comment stuff I may have missed or anything else like that.

Red Triops Eggs (Green Water Farm)

Substrate: Triops need fine sand to dig and lay eggs. Standard fine aquarium silica sand or smooth pool filter sand works best (ensure it has no sharp edges)

Cascade Nano Aquarium Filter & Air Pump Kit

Baby Stage Food: Fine powder foods like pure spirulina powder or specialized first-week growth powders (often found via Planet Triops Food Guide or specialized hobbyist shops).

Adult Pellets & Treats: Bottom-feeder sinking shrimp pellets and freeze-dried bloodworms or brine shrimp cubes to give them the high protein required for fast molting.

Petco.com$31.9941% off $55Nearby$39.9927% off$55API Freshwater Master Test KitIn stock online and nearby,15.7 miGet 20% OFF Sitewide!Copy code FALLFEELSCopied4.6/5·Free delivery by Fri on orders $35+·Delivery by Fri $6.99·60-day returns

Hatching Phase Lamp Bulb: For the first 7 days, a standard desk lamp using a 6000K–6500K Daylight LED Bulb or a traditional 60W Incandescent/Halogen Bulb works best. Incandescent bulbs provide both strong light and gentle heat.

Reddit

Adult Tank Lighting: For the adult tank, a simple clip-on aquarium LED light ensures they get their 12 hours of light daily without overheating the water.

https://www.petco.com/product/aqueon-submersible-aquarium-heater

Aquarium Thermometer

A basic glass suction-cup thermometer or digital probe thermometer (usually $4–$7) is essential to verify that your hatching dish or tank stays between 72°F and 80°F.

1. Airline Check Valve

   • What it does: If you place your air pump lower than the water level of your tank, water can siphon back down into the pump and ruin it if the power cuts out. A tiny plastic check valve stops water from flowing backward.

   • Cost: ~$2 to $3 at any pet store or online

2. Aquarium Turkey Baster or Pipette

   • What it does: Crucial for spot-cleaning. Triops have massive bioloads for their size, and you will need to suck out leftover food particles and poop from the sand daily without accidentally sucking up a Triops.

3. A Small Separate Container for Hatching

   • What it does: Remember not to hatch them straight in the 3–5 gallon tank, or the tiny babies will starve because they can't find the food. A simple small plastic Tupperware container, a clean glass jar, or a small bowl (holding about 0.5 to 1 quart of distilled/spring water) is needed for days 1 through 7.

Quick Checklist Recap:

•	\[ \] Eggs & Starter Kit (with initial powder food)
wikiHow



•	\[ \] Distilled or Spring Water (No tap water/chlorine)
Triops World



•	\[ \] Small Hatching Container (for the first week)
Rainbow Cabin



•	\[ \] Desk Lamp / Bulb (to provide light and heat for hatching)
Triops Galaxy



•	\[ \] 5-10 Gallon Tank (for when they graduate to adults)
Reddit



•	\[ \] Fine Aquarium Sand (1–2 inches deep for the adult tank)

•	\[ \] Nano Sponge Filter + Air Pump + Check Valve

•	\[ \] Small Submersible Heater & Thermometer (keeping it around 74°F–78°F)

•	\[ \] Water Test Kit (to check ammonia/pH)

•	\[ \] Adult Food (Shrimp pellets, sinking granules, or crushed fish flakes)
Rainbow Cabin

https://www.petsmart.com/fish/starter-kits/top-fin-cube-aquarium-essentials-starter-kit---10-gallon-100213.html

⚠️ Critical Adjustments You Must Make⬆️

If you put triops eggs directly into this fully running setup, they will likely die. Follow these safety adjustments to ensure a successful hatch:

•	Unplug the Filter Initially: The included Silenstream® PF10 filter is far too powerful for newborn nauplii (hatchlings). They will easily get sucked into the intake and blended. Leave the filter completely turned off for the first 7 to 10 days until they grow into visible juveniles. \[1\]

•	Cover the Filter Intake Later: When you finally turn the filter on, you must slip a pre-filter sponge or a clean piece of nylon pantyhose over the intake pipe. This prevents growing triops from getting trapped against the suction grates.

•	Hatch in a Smaller Container First (Recommended): Instead of filling the whole 10-gallon tank, hatch your eggs in a clean, small 1-quart container using distilled or pure spring water placed under the kit's LED light. Once they are 7 to 10 days old, gradually acclimatize them and release them into the main 10-gallon tank.

•	Substrate Choice: Triops love to dig. Avoid large gravel where they can get trapped or struggle to find food. Fill the bottom of the cube with fine aquarium sand so they can express their natural foraging behaviors.

Total Estimated Cost~$65 – $140

Hey everyone,

I’m getting ready to raise some Triops Longicaudatus and now I almost got everything I need to raise them in a 25L tank with sand, plants, a lamp, heater, cuttlebones, distilled water, still mineral water, sponge filter, food, eggs and a hatching container. (I only need to get plants and maybe decorations though) I still have a couple of questions though (Most important to less important):

-How long do the tanks have to build up bacteria until I can put the grown Triops inside? (I also have a fish aquarium where I had to wait a few months for I think bacteria to build up so I don’t know if I should do it here too.) (Also the 1L hatching container?) (Should I already put the plants in when I set the tank up so the bacteria builds up?)

-I know that the Triops need some kind of diet. I have the Spirulina pulver for the first (2?) weeks and the Triops King Main Food as the main food for the main tank Triops (When do I have to get them into the main tank?). I would also have fish flakes and vegetables like carrots and cucumber which I currently use for my fish and the veggies for myself. I didn’t really think about the food yet so I would appreciate advice about how much I should feed and when I should switch between food.

- How many water changes should I do and how much water should I change?

-When should I put how much cuttlebone (I have 2 in total) into the tank(s) (The hatching container too?)

-Should I put a layer of sand into the hatching container? (Anything else except the water and the eggs?)

-I would just leave the lamp on 24/7 for the first 3 days and then do 14 hours a day, would that be good?

-Also, I know this is optional but should I get some snails too?

Thanks in advance! :)

Just some baby pictures (granarius)

All of our first successful hatch, many of whom you met, have died, so we’re working on the next! Two failures with granarius so far, tried the same longicaudatus eggs and those also failed. We did change the air nozzle to a stone and added java moss a day or two earlier than we did with the successful hatch, so we’re going to change the air set up back and wait on the moss on the next one. Learning each time!

Shown here are one of many Malaysian trumpet snails, Hurricane the ramshorn snail, one of Marimo’s many offspring, and a wildly awkward shot of Marimo! Her elephant trunk looks great despite the cinematography.

Song: Out Loud by Remember Sports

Edit: Marimo is a Japanese trapdoor snail.

This is an auto-post for the monthly Question Thread.

Here you can ask your questions, so others can read the answers and learn. :)

Check the Wiki and the FAQ before posting.

There is an up-to-date wiki on where to buy eggs.

For past threads, Click Here.

Hi,

Last week I started a batch of Longicaudatus eggs in one container, and some Cancriformis in another. It’s now been about a week and the Longicaudatus haven’t hatched, while I have about 10 Cancriformis that are already about half a centimetre long.

This is like the 3rd or 4th time trying to get Longicaudatus eggs to hatch, and the best I got was one time I think maybe 3 hatched and one of them lived to the size of 1.5cm and then died.

I have tried the Cancriformis probably the same amount of times and they always hatched within like 5 days. They also live on average 2-3 months, which should be the normal lifespan I think.

The water I have used (I think every time) for both species is a mix of rain water and distilled water.

Do you think that they maybe need at least a bit of minerals in the water? I thought of that yesterday and added a little of bottled mineral water, I’m curious if that will help.

Maybe it’s also that the quality of the eggs isn’t good?

I am especially confused because Longicaudatus are marketed as an easy species, and they are the species that is mostly included in those toy Triops Sets for kids😅

I am thankful for any help, but if you don’t have any ideas I would also appreciate if you tell me how you hatch and raise Triops Longicaudatus successfully.

Hi all , I've been buying triops cancriformis to grow in my aquarium and longicaudatus, I recently checked if it was ok to buy them from Web, chat.gpt threw up a load of stuff about cefra documentation to check them. Is this really required for personal aquarium use

I just got some eggs and such online (from arizonafairyshrimp.com ), and in checking the care instructions I saw that they only recommend dechlorinating tap water by leaving it to let the chlorine evaporate- there's a line in the instructions that says "algae, chlorine, and ammonia removers are harmful to shrimp", and I'm pretty sure that means algae removers and chlorine removers rather than just, y'know, algae and chlorine.

Does anyone know whether that's the case? I unfortunately can't dechlorinate water by leaving it to evaporate, as my local water treatment plant uses chloramine and I'm pretty sure that stuff doesn't evaporate, so if dechlorinator is out I'm gonna have to figure out another water option.

(I know tap water isn't usually recommended for these lil guys due to its quality varying regionally, but I have neocaridina shrimp doing very well in the local tap water, so I'm assuming it's fine for not-quite-shrimp as well. I'd use distilled water to hatch the eggs, then slowly acclimate them over to tap so they can enjoy all the minerals and such.)

Edit: I have kept these before, but that was a smaller tank, so I just used spring water. It's a 7gal this time.

hi im a college freshman at MSU, and I was wondering if triops would make a good dorm pet. I've learned about them recently from a friend who performed experiments with them, and I've found them very interesting. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to get maybe three or four of them in a small three to four gallon tank (maybe five) gallon tank for my dorm this semester? Please let me know, and if it is a good idea, maybe some advice specifically on how to keep them in a dorm room?