Triops Links and Contacts
Where to get them
In the U.S. triops are sold by a handful of companies, often through educational toy channels. You may have luck finding them at an educational toy store. Web searches will also reveal a number of online novelty stores that carry them for widely varying prices. All of the triops sold in the U.S. are some variety of Triops longicaudatus. Most "kits" contain a packet of eggs and detritus, food, and "instructions". Some may contain a cheap plastic container and some sand. Unless you really have a jones to feed the American marketing machine, stick to what you need: eggs and food. Almost without fail, the containers are far too small (~2 liters) and needlessly add to the cost. Not counting shipping, you should be able to purchase a packet of triops eggs and a small food supply for around $5.
Triops Inc.
P.O. Box 10852
Pensacola, FL 32524
Phone: 850-479-4415 Toll Free 800-200-DINO
Fax: 850-479-3315
Web: http://www.triops.com (currently under some heavy
reconstruction)
E-mail: triopsinc@aol.com
Triops Inc. is one of the largest suppliers of triops in the world. I have raised their line of triops and found them to be a sturdy, fast growing line that has surived some pretty Darwinian pressures from my meddling. Many of the researchers in papers I've read use Triops Inc. triops and Fisher Scientific uses them as an exclusive supplier. I would not hesitate to order from them. Their triops are a unisexual or hermaphroditic long form of T. longicaudatus. The eggs are produced in the laboratory so no natural pools or populations are disturbed. They guarantee their triops to hatch and will send replacement eggs for $1 and a SASE. They don't provide web based ordering but you can order either by phone or email. The product you would be interested in is "Counter-top Triops"; their website used to list pricing at $4/kit plus $1 shipping but suspect that may not be accurate, I would call or email for the most current information.
They claim a plan to offer web sales in the "near" future. However, their website had far more content and functionality in Fall, 2000, when their representative informed me of the plan to offer websales, than it does today. Currently, there is literally nothing of use or value to anyone. Sections are simply not there or a hodgepodge of cutting and pasting between the old triops and killifish sections. They may know how to raise triops on an industrial scale but someone should smack their webmaster.
TriopsUSA
284 West 100 South
LaVerkin, Utah, USA 84745
Phone: 435-635-9845 Toll Free 800-340-5424
Fax: 435-635-5408
Web: unknown
E-mail: jlewis@infowest.com
TriopsUSA is a side company of Champion Enterprises and run by Joey Lewis. Joey is (was) a regular contributor to the Triops Forever bulletin board and a generally helpful guy. His prices are very reasonable: $2/envelope of triops eggs, $1/envelope of triops food. In addition, he also sells eggs of daphnia and fairy shrimp at the same cost as triops. The only problem with the fairy and daphnia eggs is that they are likely to contain triops as well so you will have to be careful when hatching them. The triops are produced in man-made pools in Utah and often contain daphnia, fairy, and other critters as well. Their triops are a unisexual or hermaphroditic short form of T. longicaudatus. His products are guaranteed and he will replace them free with a SASE.
Joey Lewis has not been present on the Triops Forever b.b. since February 2001 and TriopsUSA's website is down. I have my doubts if he is still in the business but leave this here if anyone wants to try the email address.
TriopsCC
P.O.-Box 261
A-1092 Vienna, Austria
Web: http://www.triops.cc/
E-mail: triops@triops.cc
TriopsCC is the only place for us Americans to get Triops cancriformis without some funky translation and currency exchange barriers. It's run by Erich Eder, an Austrian biological researcher who studies branchiopods. His triops are produced in the lab so no natural environments or populations are disturbed. His prices are very reasonable, with the Euro exchange rate, a packet of eggs costs less than $5 and shipping is less than $3. You will have to have a Visa charge card and access to a fax machine to order from him though. He guarantees his products and will replace kits free of charge.
Other triops web sites of interest
Triops Forever Yahoo Club Contains some pics, limited information out side of the chat board, and the founder apparently abandoned it ages ago, but it does contain the closest thing you're going to find to a triops bulletin board
The Triops Information Page Not quite as informative as you might think for a page called The Triops Information Page, but worth a visit. It has been recently updated which is more than most triops sites can claim, however.
Erich Eder's Branchiopod Page Erich Eder is an Austrian researcher who studies large branchiopods in Europe. He has numerous publications on triops, many of them online. Unfortunately for dumb Americans like myself, most are in German. Much of this website is temporarily down; he plans to have it working again sometime in late fall/winter 2001.
http://desfbay.fws.gov/tadpole.html A page on Lepidurus packardii in California
http://www.vulcano.demon.nl/triops/index.htm This is a page on one guy's triops, not a whole lot of information but contains one of the largest collections of triops photographs.
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artjul00/dwtriops.html This is an article from a British microscopy enthusiast on triops.
Potholes and vernal pools as potential indicator systems A good site on vernal pool ecosystems in the U.S. courtesy of your tax dollars to the U.S. government.
http://www.vernalpools.org/ A conservation group dedicated to protecting vernal pool habitats in California.
The UC Pest Guidelines on the problems and controls of triops as crop pests
http://member.austasia.net/~gfnc/shield.html The closest thing to information on T. australiensis on the web.
A PhD dissertation of which a significant portion involved molecular biological analysis for the cladistic assignment of North American Lepidurus species. Not for the general public's consumption, you have been warned.
last updated September 06, 2001