After buying the first breeding kit and the first successful Triops breeding, one would like to harvest Triops eggs oneself at some point. So you can start the next breeding with the independently harvested Triops eggs. You can then proudly give the egg-sand mixtures to friends and acquaintances or keep them for later. After about two weeks after hatching, the Triops females are sexually mature and start laying eggs. Triops are also creatures of habit and almost always lay their cysts in the same place in the sand. To do this, it is sufficient to observe the Triops for a few minutes several times a day. You will quickly find out their favourite spots and can assume that the Triops eggs are permanently deposited there. These spots are “gold mines” for us, so to speak. In this article we will look at how to harvest Triops eggs properly and what options are available.
1. Harvesting Triops eggs after the end of breeding
The most common option to harvest Triops eggs from the sand is to wait until all Triops from the current breeding have died. In order for the cysts to fully develop, you should wait about ten days after the Triops have died before removing the sand from the aquarium and starting to dry it. But be careful not to wait too long here, because after a good ten days spontaneous hatching begins, i.e. the first eggs hatch on their own.
If the spontaneous hatching has not occurred, first remove all snails, plants and stones from the aquarium. The water is sucked out with a hose and the aquarium is either placed directly in the sun or in a warm place, e.g. next to the radiator. Alternatively, you can divide the sand between several containers to dry it better. The egg-sand mixtures are dried for at least three weeks, preferably five.
2. Harvest Triops eggs during breeding
Since the Triops can live up to 90 days, it can be tedious to wait three months to harvest eggs. But there is a solution: harvesting eggs during breeding. To protect the Triops and avoid the possibility of hurting them, you should carefully scoop the sand out of the tank with a plastic spoon or ladle. Under no circumstances should you use a metal spoon, as there is a risk of damaging the aquarium. You can also use a hose to remove the sand, but be careful here too. Be careful not to suck up triops or snails.
In principle, there is nothing to be said against harvesting eggs during an ongoing breeding. However, since the cysts need a certain amount of time to develop, you should not start harvesting Triops eggs immediately after sexual maturity, but wait about one to two weeks. This way you get better quality eggs with a higher hatching rate.
3. Harvest eggs after several breedings
Finally, let’s look at the method used in Triops Galaxy. Instead of harvesting the Triops eggs after one generation, it waits until the second generation of Triops has died. Only then are the eggs harvested. This ensures that the sand contains many more eggs and that high-quality breeding stock can be produced. This method of harvesting eggs is part of Triops Galaxy’s 2PO method, which produces perhaps the best breeding stock on the market. This method also offers the advantage that the aquarium does not need to be re-started.
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