Really Strange Thing In My Tank

5teady_2012 · Dec 8, 2008

Hi,

Just fished a few shrimp out of my tank and on the net was this really strange crature like thing..

It is about the same lengh as a adult cherry shrimp, and is lime greem with a fantastic shade of pruple like tint to its body..

It looks like its meant to have wings but its like it adapted to living under water,

It has pure white eyes and its tail i similar to a dart flite but tripple not 4.

Anyone know what it could be?

Is it harmless?

Thanks

Wayne

Mikaila31 · Dec 8, 2008

Sounds like some type of insect larvae, like a damsel or dragon fly.

Add any new plants recently?

loraxchick · Dec 8, 2008

dragonfly larvae have three tubes to their tail, as do damselfly larvae...mayflies would have two, and ive never encountered on wiht four. they are fantastic predators so id take it out of the tank. ever consider trying to let it develop and metamorphose? it'd be neat to see what the adult stage would look like based on your description...and since you said it looks like it should have wings (you might see little "wing buds " along the side on the abodomen), and simply on its size, i feel like ti's pretty far along in development.

Ficious · Dec 8, 2008

Yea I've read my fair share of these posts..they can catch small guppies and fry so you might want to capture it

jourdy288 · Dec 8, 2008

I haven't heard of anything like this before, you might want to give us pics! It doesn't sound like a dragonfly larvae, though, they're not brightly colored like that...

Hang on, I just reread it...
Does it have claws? like on a lobster? It almost sounds like some sort of marine shrimp...

5teady_2012 · Dec 8, 2008

This is pretty much like the one thats in my tank, except the on is my tank is lime green with a tint on its body, what should i do with it? i really like it lol..

loraxchick · Dec 8, 2008

absoloutely 100% dragonfly/damselfly larvae...remove him or he may eat your fry.
and dragonfly larvae come in all patterns of greens/browns/balcks/w/ red whie yellow dots stripes, etc. depending on the spp. you are looking at.
i like your drawing! much bettre than i could ever do...mine'd be like a stick larvae (like a stick person)
cheers
R

loraxchick · Dec 8, 2008

if you wanna keep it and see what happens, put it in a jar w/ some live plants and feed it bloodworms, etc every once in a while....leave a stick or something similar sticking up and out of the water, so that when it is ready to "change" it will crawl up the stick, out of the water and it's exoskeleton will split along the back and it will crawl out of it as an adult. it is amazing to watch and will be fun. but as it is winter now, it may take a few months...but im sure you might "trick" it as it is warm in the house...but then you cant just let it outside as it will die in the cold and there are no bugs to eat. but since you cant have such a thing in a tank w/ small fish (they are nasty predators), it is worth a shot. id do it and see what happens, but then again, im an ecology freak!
CHEERS

nosoup4you · Dec 8, 2008

The trouble with rearing dragonfly/damselfly larvae is that it is probably really cold where you are this time of year and you won't have any way of releasing it. Furthermore, even if it weren't bitterly cold, if the larvae came with plants ordered from afar then you risk the chance of introducing non-native species into the environment.

loraxchick · Dec 8, 2008

nosoup4you said:
The trouble with rearing dragonfly/damselfly larvae is that it is probably really cold where you are this time of year and you won't have any way of releasing it. Furthermore, even if it weren't bitterly cold, if the larvae came with plants ordered from afar then you risk the chance of introducing non-native species into the environment.

touche about the posible non native!
but an interesting project to see what it is

nosoup4you · Dec 8, 2008

Ultimately, you are most likely going to have to kill it so I don't see why you couldn't let it metamorphose just to see what it is...outside of your fry tank of course.

5teady_2012 · Dec 8, 2008

At the moment i have it in a breeding trap in the tank, i have another tank i could put it in where there is swordtails and platys, surely they will be ok with it?

Im really wanting to see it progress, at the moment its about (------------------) and it really is beautiful to look at with its amazing colours, il have to get my camera back and macro it..

Will update asap..

loraxchick · Dec 8, 2008

looking forward to it. dragonflies are my favorite insect!!!i have quite a few photos of lots of different spp.in my collection. so im excited for YOU!