Little Triops Swim Around!

This will be like the 4th time I try to hatch triops. The first and second time were successful, but the third batch was struck with a cold wave and I didn’t have a desk lamp handy. We are not supposed to have 10°C on Cancún! >:(  -stupid climate change-

Triops 1 was put on a Aquasaurius tank and lived fro almost 2 full months, a feat on the realm of triops or so I heard! He had just a small amount of small white gravel and I’m not THAT sure he laid eggs (yes, I called him HE… as triops can be hermaphrodites).  He would spent his time doing “aquabatics” and swiming upside down along the surface.

Triops 2 (on the pic above) didn’t have the same luck and lived barely to be a little more than a month old. I gave Triops 2 some fine sand to lay eggs and he seemed to like it and spent more time in the bottom, although its water turned murky very easily. :S

Right now I have a small plastic container with 4 hatchlings and I hope to make a small experiment. I’ll put one on the Aquasaurus tank but this time with black gravel and the others will be on a big plastic container without substrate again. I was told the black gravel could have some  chemical substance that could harm the triops so I don’t want to take that chance with the whole lot.