Yes it was quite big enough, was the kit that included the 'large tank', and I'm very surprised you didn't observe it because we have done the experiment a number of times and always get a Big Fat One at the end. The banana- and fairy- shrimp population is harvested first, but when they are gone the Triops turn on each other like some kind of damp gladiator orgy. Its really wild to watch.
We've moved on to Hydrae now, they are also quite battle-worn organisms in our house-hold.
I think back in the day it was recommended to have at least 5 liters per adult triops. My tank was around 100l and I usually had at least a handful of them. Always females only; the males somehow never made it. They would only get eaten by their peers once they died of other causes. Maybe yours were lacking some protein in their diet?
First time I hear of anybody keeping Hydrae as pets.
We fed them pretty well; I've never heard of Triops that weren't cannibalistic.
The Hydrae are exceptionally interesting, we just collect glass jars of lake water and watch them grow over a few weeks before releasing them .. its quite an adventure watching the budding occur, seeing the growth, watching the nematodes being chomped on ..
In our hydrae experiments, yes, they came with the lake water .. you can see some pictures here if you're interested, there's a video of the battle between nematode and hydra as well - I did this experiment with my kids many times over the years, its always fascinating to see what grows and what eats and what stays behind ..
