Sunday, January 23, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Well... I have one growing Sea Monster. Yes, one tiny little Triops finally decided to grow up!
As for the other hundreds upon hundreds of Sea Monsters living in the tank.... they are all gone. Every last one of them. Apparently my growing Sea Monster has ate them all. All he does is eat and swim ALL DAY LONG. He has systematically scavenged through and gobbled them ALL up! I can't see a single moving thing in the tank now, except my fast growing glutton of a Sea Monster.
I'm sure he will be twice his size by tomorrow!
As for the other hundreds upon hundreds of Sea Monsters living in the tank.... they are all gone. Every last one of them. Apparently my growing Sea Monster has ate them all. All he does is eat and swim ALL DAY LONG. He has systematically scavenged through and gobbled them ALL up! I can't see a single moving thing in the tank now, except my fast growing glutton of a Sea Monster.
I'm sure he will be twice his size by tomorrow!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Countless Sea Monsters!
Well... more and more Sea Monsters are hatching. They're just EVERYWHERE. Unfortunately, there are only a couple Sea Monkeys left. Aaron said that Sea Monkeys are suppose to live in salt water. I have fresh water in my tank, which is required for the Sea Monsters, but apparently not suitable for Sea Monkeys :(
Here's a video!
I am disappointed that the Sea Monsters have not grown very big yet. They are getting bigger, but not as big as they should be. They may just die :(
We shall see...
Here's a video!
I am disappointed that the Sea Monsters have not grown very big yet. They are getting bigger, but not as big as they should be. They may just die :(
We shall see...
Monday, January 3, 2011
Well I have a bit of a problem with my Sea Monsters. Some more of them hatched... except they're not all "Sea Monsters" or "Triops." Some are Sea Monkeys.
Here is a video of my newly hatched creatures...
As you can see in the video, the large sea creature is swimming more smoothly. That is a Sea Monkey. The smaller one swims more like it's jumping through the water. That is a Sea Monster.
Sea Monkey...
Sea Monster...
It looks like I have both.
Sea Monkeys are not Triops like the Sea Monsters are. They are actually brine shrimp. And guess what else... they live for 2 years!!! What did I get myself into??? I don't want to feed Sea Monkeys for 2 years!
There is a bright side though :) ... or maybe it's tragic depending on how you look at it... if my Sea Monsters (aka Triops) grow to full size, they will eat the Sea Monkeys. Sea Monkeys only grow to about 1/2 an inch, as I said in my previous post.
And like it says on the package... "They eat other sea pets for breakfast." It looks like I have some trouble on my hands. Sea Monsters vs Sea Monkeys.
What is going to happen? Stay tuned!!! :)
Here is a video of my newly hatched creatures...
As you can see in the video, the large sea creature is swimming more smoothly. That is a Sea Monkey. The smaller one swims more like it's jumping through the water. That is a Sea Monster.
Sea Monkey...
Sea Monster...
It looks like I have both.
Sea Monkeys are not Triops like the Sea Monsters are. They are actually brine shrimp. And guess what else... they live for 2 years!!! What did I get myself into??? I don't want to feed Sea Monkeys for 2 years!
There is a bright side though :) ... or maybe it's tragic depending on how you look at it... if my Sea Monsters (aka Triops) grow to full size, they will eat the Sea Monkeys. Sea Monkeys only grow to about 1/2 an inch, as I said in my previous post.
And like it says on the package... "They eat other sea pets for breakfast." It looks like I have some trouble on my hands. Sea Monsters vs Sea Monkeys.
What is going to happen? Stay tuned!!! :)
Sunday, January 2, 2011
I wanted to buy some sea monkeys during my vacation, just so I could have something fun to do for a little while, but I couldn't find sea monkeys anywhere. However, I did find Sea Monsters.
I didn't realize until I got home, and did a little research that these "Sea Monsters" are nothing like Sea Monkeys. They are actually called Triops. They grow huge. Up to 3 inches. Sea Monkeys only grow up to 1/2 an inch, and are hard to see. I saw a picture on Google where someone is holding a Triops in their hand!
What did I just get myself into?
Triops are prehistoric monsters also known as dinosaur shrimp that are brought to life simply by adding water to eggs that are in suspended animation. I researched more about the suspended animation Triops eggs are in. When adult Triops die during droughts, the embryos remain in a state of "diapause" until the rains return and fill up the temporary ponds once again, making it safe for them to hatch. Many factors affect diapause, such as light, salt, and temperature. A message is transmitted to the eggs by the female. This message stops the growth of the eggs. This same message lets the eggs know that when they are exposed to water again, it will be time to hatch. The growth message, probably chemical, essentially stops the biological clock of the embryonic Triops.
My major is Biotechnology, and this kind of stuff fascinates me. I love science, and love watching things grow. Scientists study Triops in the hope of extracting the biological-clock-stopping chemical found in the eggs. It could be used to suspend cellular growth in humans. Imagine the potential uses: slowing the aging process, or even putting a stop to cancer growth.
I put my sea monster eggs into a tank, and have been watching, and waiting...
The eggs were mixed with dirt, and tiny pieces of wood I think. It is all floating at the top of the tank.
A few days had passed, and a few finally hatched. Look closely at the tiny white spec in the water directly in front of Aaron's finger...
That's a Triops! Or Sea Monster :) Whatever you want to call it. I read they look like horseshoe crabs and date back to the Triassic Period in fossil records. They look identical to their prehistoric ancestors. Triops have survived for centuries because of uninterrupted states of suspend animation, or "diapause."
They will only live for about 20 to 90 days. That's a good thing, because I really wasn't expecting to grow sea monsters the size of your hand, and also have to feed them for years :)
This is a great source of information on Triops ... Triops Booklet.
More to come! Stay tuned!
I didn't realize until I got home, and did a little research that these "Sea Monsters" are nothing like Sea Monkeys. They are actually called Triops. They grow huge. Up to 3 inches. Sea Monkeys only grow up to 1/2 an inch, and are hard to see. I saw a picture on Google where someone is holding a Triops in their hand!
What did I just get myself into?
Triops are prehistoric monsters also known as dinosaur shrimp that are brought to life simply by adding water to eggs that are in suspended animation. I researched more about the suspended animation Triops eggs are in. When adult Triops die during droughts, the embryos remain in a state of "diapause" until the rains return and fill up the temporary ponds once again, making it safe for them to hatch. Many factors affect diapause, such as light, salt, and temperature. A message is transmitted to the eggs by the female. This message stops the growth of the eggs. This same message lets the eggs know that when they are exposed to water again, it will be time to hatch. The growth message, probably chemical, essentially stops the biological clock of the embryonic Triops.
My major is Biotechnology, and this kind of stuff fascinates me. I love science, and love watching things grow. Scientists study Triops in the hope of extracting the biological-clock-stopping chemical found in the eggs. It could be used to suspend cellular growth in humans. Imagine the potential uses: slowing the aging process, or even putting a stop to cancer growth.
I put my sea monster eggs into a tank, and have been watching, and waiting...
The eggs were mixed with dirt, and tiny pieces of wood I think. It is all floating at the top of the tank.
A few days had passed, and a few finally hatched. Look closely at the tiny white spec in the water directly in front of Aaron's finger...
That's a Triops! Or Sea Monster :) Whatever you want to call it. I read they look like horseshoe crabs and date back to the Triassic Period in fossil records. They look identical to their prehistoric ancestors. Triops have survived for centuries because of uninterrupted states of suspend animation, or "diapause."
They will only live for about 20 to 90 days. That's a good thing, because I really wasn't expecting to grow sea monsters the size of your hand, and also have to feed them for years :)
This is a great source of information on Triops ... Triops Booklet.
More to come! Stay tuned!
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