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Triops Tank

  • Thread starter elgecko
  • Start date

elgecko

I've got a magic window!
Thanks to swords my Triops cancriformis eggs came today in the mail.

This is the 10 gallon tank I will place them into once they get some size to them.
tank-001.jpg


I'll start them after I get back from my Pine Barrens trip next weekend.



I always thought they were cool critters since they reminded me of my favorite fossil; Trilobites.
Since I have no pictures of the Triops yet; here are some Trilobite fossils.

otherTrilobite.jpg

Bought this one.

unknowntrilobite2.jpg

Unknown - Devonian Period - collected myself

cryptolithusparts.jpg

Cryptolithus pieces - Ordovician period - collected myself

cryptolithus.jpg

Cryptolithus complete specimen - Ordovician period - collected myself
 
If you like trilobites, check out the genus Serolis. They require very cold water but are dead ringers for trilobites. They are found around the Falkland Islands and Antarctica.

-Hermes.
 
You FIND these?!?! Where?!?! I got one at a gift shop, but you found some?!?! I knew that occasionally people find them, but wow! I'd buy those from you.

---------- Post added at 08:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:10 PM ----------

You should put the fossils in the tank as decor. That would look cool.
 
Sweet setup! I haven't gotten started yet on their tanks. I'm interested to see how the green australians do since they get big and are less cannibalistic than the other varieties (supposedly).

I dig Tripos cos of Trilobites too. My old hippy uncle used to wear a belt buckle he made from a Trilobite fossil (sometimes he wore the big YES buckle :D). He was a big rock/fossil collector in the 60's and 70s and was also the one who got me into terrariums and plants.
 
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If you like trilobites, check out the genus Serolis. They require very cold water but are dead ringers for trilobites. They are found around the Falkland Islands and Antarctica.

-Hermes.
I have seen some pic of them when I was researching the Triops. Would be a little hard to replicate the correct conditions and even obtaining them seems a bit far fetched.

You FIND these?!?! Where?!?! I got one at a gift shop, but you found some?!?! I knew that occasionally people find them, but wow! I'd buy those from you.

---------- Post added at 08:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:10 PM ----------

You should put the fossils in the tank as decor. That would look cool.
The Cryptolithus can longer be obtained from the site I used to go to. It was at Swatara Gap at the 81 road cut. So many people hunted these Trilobites that they where starting to weaken the bridge for route 81 by digging into the rock formation. I have only dug into the rock formation when hunting fossils only if a specimen was partially exposed, and looked very clean. I find 99.9% of my fossils I have by whats laying around on the ground.

The following Brachiopods came from a site that is now closed.

Here are some nice complete Brachiopods - spinocyrtia (?) - Devonian Period I collected.
Brachiopodscompletefront.jpg


Brachiopodscompleteback.jpg


Brachiopodscompletetop.jpg


Brachiopodscompletehand.jpg


Here's a nice Chesapecten - Miocene / Pliocene Period I collected.
chesapecten.jpg


I would not place any in the tank, the water would start to dissolve the rock and mess up the fossil, not to mention change my water chemistry.


swords,
Thanks for the comment on the set-up. I've been thinking of getting some others, Triops Austrailensis green and the Beni-kabuto ebi albino Triops canciformis.
I emailed the seller, who also sells the Triops Austrailensis green and many other varieties, before I purchased the Triops cancriformis about which ones live the longest and got the largest size. He told me it is the Triops cancriformis.
There is not a lot of info on them on the web, and some of it seems incorrect. The picture of the large Triops on the thread you started; I have seen that picture on 2 to 3 different Triops... so which one that really is, is a guess.
 
That's a heck of a Fossil collection - Back when I was collecting my own fossils, I also ran across Triops in the many google searches :D Amazing collection of Trilobites. I have 1 small Elrathia kingii from the Late Permian period, and some Phacops species also from the Late Permian period, along with a somewhat decent-sized unknown species.

PICS

Elrathia
DSC08899.jpg


Phacops
DSC08903.jpg


Unknown :D
DSC08905.jpg
 
neat fossils.....the rocks around here are to young for them, last part of the Cretaceous......
 
petmantis,
I really like the Phacops rana.

Is the Elrathia kingii real or a replica? It looks strange to me.
I wanted to buy some Trilobite fossils off ebay before, but found out there is a huge problem with fakes on there and even stores that sell them. I may not mind buying a replica, but I want to know that's what I'm getting.
 
The picture of the large Triops on the thread you started; I have seen that picture on 2 to 3 different Triops... so which one that really is, is a guess.
Yes, with more online researching I've seen that photo used to illustrate different species too. We'll just have to see what pops up in our batches.

If you've ever searched for leaf tailed geckos you've no doubt seen the most amazing picture of Uroplatys phantasticus but I've never seen one for sale that looked like that, they look more like a dried leaf than the mini-demon in the pic I linked.
 
  • #10
petmantis,
I really like the Phacops rana.

Is the Elrathia kingii real or a replica? It looks strange to me.
I wanted to buy some Trilobite fossils off ebay before, but found out there is a huge problem with fakes on there and even stores that sell them. I may not mind buying a replica, but I want to know that's what I'm getting.

Thanks - I also like the Phacops, but I really wish I get my hands on an unrolled specimen. It's just way to common how these roll up before dying.... Which explains the connection to modern day sowbugs :D

I got the Elrathia in a little gift set of random fossils. It's less than a cm across, so I seriously doubt anyone would go through the trouble to make a fake one... But whether or not it is, it looks cute :-))

Back when I lived in Toronto, I had a much greater variety of fossils... especially brachiopods and gastropods collected at Ontario Lake. And they were of a good size too! I still have no idea where those ended up :blush: Definitely want to visit a lakeshore or something, I need to get my collection back up and running :banana2:
 
  • #11
Isn't up and "running" an oxymoron when referring to a collection of fossils?
 
  • #12
Isn't up and "running" an oxymoron when referring to a collection of fossils?


LOL!!! Glad someone caught that :-))

I haven't collected a fossil for years now. I haven't exactly been looking for them either xD
 
  • #13
Can't wait to see some triop pics, mine never hatched.
 
  • #14
I got triop eggs from a friend a few days ago... well technically she gave them to my mom and she did everything to get them to hatch, but whatever. They're mine. :D

Only three hatched... but, they're growing very fast!! very, very fast! I'm taking care of them now cause my mom is away... :p

I'll post pics when they're big enough to take pics of.

And awesome fossil collections everyone! :-D
 
  • #15
Can't wait to see some triop pics, mine never hatched.
I'm not having any luck with my eggs hatching either. They should start hatching in 3 days, it's been 7 days and nothing. I keep checking the hatching tank a few times everyday. The wife told me to give up on them today.... which I'm about ready to do.
It was recommend to have the temps at 70-74 for the Triops cancriformis that I tried. My house temp is set at 76 degrees and the water temp usually is around 76-78 degrees. About ready to try the Aussie 'Green' Triops Austrailensis. The temps are perfect to hatch these out 74-80 degrees ........ supposedly.....
 
  • #16
Good luck. Personally, I think these Triops are a scam, and it's rare for even one to hatch. It's hard for them to stay alive. Everything is just hard to do.
 
  • #17
Good luck. Personally, I think these Triops are a scam, and it's rare for even one to hatch. It's hard for them to stay alive. Everything is just hard to do.

same is often said about some CP's.........wasnt that long ago that most the Orchidioides section Utrics were considered near impossible to keep in collections, same with Cephs and alot of Neps......if no one tries than it is impossible....
 
  • #18
I wonder if the cancriformis needs a cold diapause period? They are a northern European species.

I haven't done mine yet so maybe a month or two in the 40-45*F fridge before "sowing" is worth a try. then when I hatch them I can do it outside in a tank of cool water in autumn. hmmm...
 
  • #19
didnt notice any air bubbles used to incubate the eggs. what you should have done was place the eggs in a test tube filled with dH2O with an airstone. once when the eggs hatch, you can put them into the larger tank.
 
  • #20
Years ago i collected some from the wild. needed specimens for my natural history prof. They apparently are on all of the major Hawaiian Islands. I kept a few in the lab they grew up and died. Later i dried up the tank for a few months and then added water. The eggs laid by the few that i started with hatched out. These guys might have some interesting dormancy mechanisms, based on the locations that they are seen in Hawaii. Years of dormancy isn't unusual. Might need some things to break dormancy. Similar things are seen with daphnia/moina eggs. Some need cold (daphnia) and others seem to need long dry periods (Moina). Might not be too odd. Also, RO/distilled water or rain water might be doing things to help the eggs hatch. Might be related to osmotic pressure.

I'm waiting for the next huge winter storm on the south west side of Maui to go look at the most logical place for them. With 7-10 years of drought, makes one wonder how they survive long dry periods.....

MTF
 
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