Update on the triops! They continue to grow, although only three are left. There's no cleanup when a triops dies, nor do you have to remove a dead triops. Triops are cannabalistic, be it an environmental cleanup instinct, recycling method or one of pure survival. As the triops we are raising are given ample food, it's clear that in the jar we have them in it was not a matter of not having enough to eat.

A few things we've noticed: they molt every day now, and probably were before but we just didn't recognize the smaller, finer outer-layer drop offs. It's impossible not to spot them now, as they are approximately 1.3 inches big.

They do a sparring ritual where two will meet at the bottom of the jar and press head to head in a battle of strength. The strongest one gets by.

They enjoy swimming upsidedown when they eat. They don't spot the food right away, as fish often will when you sprinkle some in a fish tank. It can take the triops a few minutes to notice that there is food floating in the water. Even if one is eating, the others do not seem to know to go where the food is found, and they will swim around looking for it even though it is always at the top of the water in the jar.

They love the sunshine. When a ray of light hits the jar, the triops swim merrily up and down the beam of warmth.

They look more and more like horseshoe crabs the bigger they get. They look very prehistoric.
Sometimes you'd swear they are 'showing off' for you. They do seem to notice when people are looking at them and will come up to the glass to check you out as you are checking them out.

They will probably, at best, survive another two months. At the rate they are growing, we might need to find a bigger tank for them within the next two weeks or so. KC has mentioned wanting to put some sand at the bottom of a replacement tank for them, as some of the websites we've visited show the triops with a more natural setting he'd like to replicate. We'll be visiting the beach at some point soon to get some fresh sand that we will wash out and let dry for some days before introducing the triops to a new environment.