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This kit is only available from Argos.

Education

Experiments included support the National Curriculum Science KS2.

Free Teachers Notes are available for this product. Press link to download

Contents

Plastic Tanks	Plastic Volcano
Plastic Gate	Spoon
Siphon Bottle	Gravel
Sand	Compost
Grass Seeds	Dinosaur Skeleton
Triops Eggs	Triops Food
Colour Instruction manual

FAQ's

Q. What are Triops?
A. Triops are crustaceans. The crustacean's family includes animals such as shrimps and crabs. Triops obtain oxygen they need from the water through their feet and this characteristically places them in a group of crustaceans called Branchiopods. Your Triops scientific name is Triops Longicaudatus, but their common names are 'Dinosaur Shrimp' or 'Tadpole Shrimp'.

Q. What do I feed Triops?
A. All the Triops kits come with Triop food (shrimp food), however, you can feed your Triops on a good quality fish food (use granules, not the flake variety) available from aquarium or pet shops. Triops will also eat tiny amounts of grated carrot. 

Q. Can I change the Triops water?
A. Yes. Carefully pour away some or half of the water. Then top the tank up with clean bottled/spring or rainwater that has already been raised to room temperature. This can be repeated several times if you are not satisfied with the clarity of the water. It is a good idea to repeat this process at weekly intervals.

Q. Where can you find Triops?
A. Different species of Triops can be found in every continent. Your Triops come from USA, where they are more commonly found in desert areas. They live in small ponds that exist only for short periods after it has rained. Because the water soon dries up the Triops need to hatch, mature and reproduce quickly so that their eggs will remain when the pond no longer exists.

Q. How long do Triops live?
A. Once Triops eggs have been added to water they generally live for approximately 6 - 12 weeks. Triops are known as 'living fossils' because they first appeared on earth 350 million years ago and have a striking resemblance to the now extinct Triolobite. It is thought Triops have been able to survive on Earth for so long because their eggs have the ability to enter a state called diapause. This means they can remain dormant for many years (even decades!) until they are re-hydrated (added to water) and hatch. So, if there is a long period of drought or freezing the eggs will survive until conditions become more favourable.

Q. What is a Triops life cycle?
A. When Triops first hatch they are larvae, but they quickly moult to become young tadpole shrimps. They often double in size every day and can grow up to 4cm in length. They are capable of producing eggs when they are 2 to 3 weeks old. If you have only one Triop you still may be able to get eggs. This is because most Triops are hermaphrodites; this means they can fertilise their own eggs. The hermaphrodites have a pair of white brood pouches, which carry the eggs and are located between the upper legs.

Further Information about Triops

If you want to find out more about Triops the most comprehensive site for information is My Triops; It's full of interesting facts and articles.