What are Triops?			Eggs and Babies			Why they're important			The Species
	The Appeal of Triops			How to raise Triops			Shop for Triops			Scientific papers
	Anatomy of Triops			Container Types			Food Recipes			Tank Setups
	Eggs & Detritus			Companions to Triops			Water types			Quick Hatching Guide

	FAQ - General			FAQ - Hatching			FAQ - Caring			FAQ - Food

Q:
How often should I change the water in my Triops tank?

A:
As often as required. It's hard to say as everyone's tank is different. But if it smells then it probably needs changing.

If you feed too much or don't have a filter fitted to the tank then you'll need to change some of the water daily.

Don't change all the water or you may kill your creatures. Change about 25% maximum a day. Make sure the new water is kept at the same temperature as the tank water. Sudden water temperature changes could harm your aquatic pet.

Q:
What is the minimum depth of water I need for keeping Triops?

A:
Whilst Triops need around 2 litres of water each to ensure it has enough oxygen and a decent amount of area to move around in. It doesn't spend a lot of time as an adult swimming to the surface and it can't crawl or jump out so you can get by with only a short water column. Say around 10cm (4 inches).

Q:
I want to put my Triops in my big freshwater aquarium tank with my fish.
Is it safe to do so? Will my fish harm the Triops or will my Triops harm my fish?

A:
Yes you can put Triops in with tropical freshwater fish. Obviously if you've got big fish (anything over 3 inches in size) like Chiclids then they may decide that the Triops are a meal and eat them! But most smaller fish will ignore them.

Even very small fish like Neon tetras or Corys will be completely unharmed by them. Some people keep Dwarf African Frogs or other shrimps in their tanks and Triops do no harm to them or vice versa.

Q:
I've got my Triops in a small tank and I need to transfer them into my big tank. How can I do this safely?

A:
Moving any small aquatic creature instantly from one body of water to another can seriously injure or kill it due to a process called Osmotic Pressure.
Differences between the two bodys of water may be so different that cells in the poor creature can't take the stress and literal die.

What you have to do is remove 20% of the water from the small tank and replace it with water from the big tank. Do this daily for about 4 days. By the time you've done this the Triops will be used to the new water and can be moved across with no ill effects.

Q:
How soon can I move them across to the big tank?

A:
As long as they have reached adult size (usually after 7-10 days) it should be safe to move them across using the method mentioned above.

Q:
If I add Triops into my planted Aquarium will they eat my plants?

A:
Triops have a terrifically active metabolism and so are always hungry omnivores and eat anything organic they come across (their mouth is only about 1mm wide). They are virtually blind so they just explore and try anything their feelers sense. They do nibble on roots if they are exposed. So cover the base of your plants that have a exposed roots close to the surface of the substrate with large pebbles. If your gravel is already 4mm or larger then there will be minimum problems. Plus you'd need an awful lot in an average sized aquarium to do any lasting harm. Triops do perform an effective clean up job on dead plant material!

Q:
I'm hatching out some Triops and I see small white tuffs of what looks like cotton wool on the bottom. What are they and should I remove them?

A:
These tuffs are bacterial or fungus growths and these often grow over uneaten food. If left in the tank they may eventually kill the Triops. So prompt removal is a must and you must also cut down on the amount of food you are feeding the Triops as these growths only happen when food is left uneaten for 24 hours or longer.