Suitable containers for keeping Triops

by Stuart Halliday

One of the great things about raising Triops is the low cost of keeping them. Whilst some people keep Triops in aquarium tanks with fish, Triops are great at keeping the substrate clean as Triops will eat just about anything.

Others know that you just need something which will hold at a minimum around 2 litres (0.5 gallons) of water per adult Triops.

Basic requirements

• The container should not be toxic to the creatures.
• The surface water area should be large enough to allow oxygen to dissolve into the water.
• The volume of water should be large enough to allow the Triops to extract oxygen from the water.

Let’s go through this list:

The container should not be toxic to the creatures.

If you use a container made out of plastic then you should realise that some plastics are not suitable as they will leak toxic chemicals into the water over time.

Suitable plastics like Polypropylene and Polyethylene are the two main plastics used to store food. There is usually a safely mark (a fork and spoon) on the bottom of the container to indicate it is safe for storing food. The great news, is that these type of containers are widely available from your local shop or supermarket very cheaply. Often for less than £2.00 (€2.86 $US3.75).

If you think the plastic container may have contained soap, paint or chemicals in the past then don’t use it. Plastic can absorb chemicals over time and will leak these back into water.

Therefore a food storage or cooking container made of glass or safe plastic is ideal.

The surface water area should be large enough to allow oxygen to dissolve into the water.

Triops like all aquatic creatures breath Oxygen which is dissolved in the water. The Oxygen gets into the water at the surface where water meets the air. So it is important to have a large surface area for maximum Oxygen intake.

The good thing is that Triops don’t need a lot of air, but like all creatures they will live longer and grow better if there is plenty of air for them to breath.

A tall narrow neck container is not suitable as not enough air can dissolve quickly enough into the water.

Therefore a wide necked container is ideal.

The volume of water should be large enough to allow the Triops to extract oxygen from the water.

The amount of Oxygen water can hold varies with temperature. The colder the water, the more Oxygen it can hold. But the warmer it is, the less Oxygen it holds. But Triops require warm water (ideally 22°C) in which to live. So we need to supply enough volume of water for each Triops to breath and not to crowd it out. Obviously when a Triops is small it needs very little volume of water. But as it gets bigger it will need more.

Therefore a large volume container is ideal.

Examples of containers

Here are some examples of containers that work well for keeping Triops:

• Glass or plastic aquarium tanks (5-10 gallons)
• Large food storage containers with wide openings
• Glass bowls or jars (at least 1 gallon capacity)
• Plastic storage tubs marked as food-safe
• Glass casserole dishes

Remember: The container should be clean, non-toxic, have a wide surface area, and hold at least 2 litres per adult Triops for optimal health.