ID this mysterious creature

shift · 02-15-2013, 10:13 PM

This little green guy either snuck in with my shrimp or on a plant last night. Not to sure exactly what it is......

**dougolasjr** · 02-15-2013, 10:17 PM

Looks like a green dragonfly or damesfly nymph. Is it alive and moving.

Kitsune_Gem · 02-15-2013, 10:22 PM

If you value your shrimp and fish.. Remove it and kill it.. Its going to make a meal out of your fish and or shrimp.

shift · 02-15-2013, 10:33 PM

Its a dragon fly? Yes its alive and its in there with baby CRS/CBS too! okay ill ditch it.. thanks for the quick feedback.

shift · 02-15-2013, 10:40 PM

And ofcourse it moved when i went back to snatch it out... hopefully he doesnt eat any of the little guys. Ill keep an eye out for it. Its bright green just like the plants so he has pretty good camouflage.

rodcuda · 02-15-2013, 10:48 PM

Keep looking until you find it. They are vicious.

**sbarbee54** · 02-15-2013, 10:51 PM

It is probably laying eggs in there so you will be getting larva too scower the tank for it and eggs and get them out look at my thread don't end up like me

**Soothing Shrimp** · 02-15-2013, 11:01 PM

Well the good news is larvae doesn't lay eggs. The bad news, if they came in on your plants, you may have more eggs on them.

**sbarbee54** · 02-16-2013, 01:02 AM

It looks like the fly itself they will submerge to go lay eggs and the. Leave once done laying eggs

**Soothing Shrimp** · 02-16-2013, 01:23 AM

You may be correct. My understanding has always been they just stick their tails in the water like an ovipositor, and leave their wings dry.

rodcuda · 02-16-2013, 01:41 AM

It is not a fly, look at the gills coming off the tail. It is still a larvae. but there could be more.

shift · 02-16-2013, 02:04 AM

Well hopefully its only the one... I havent been able to find him again.. but i will snatch him out if i do find him. There is far to many plants for him to camouflage on!

Hopefully the wee shrimp will not become his lunch.

MSG · 02-16-2013, 02:37 AM

Make sure you have your removal tools ready. They're absolute masters of camouflage.

It's a damselfly larvae. Miniature versions of a dragonfly but still great underwater predators for all things small.

Once you decapitate them, they're harmless. I watched my barbs battle with a swarm of the nymphs. Barbs always win, but sometimes it takes a while for them to break free of their jaws.

They're essentially a underwater praying mantis until they turn into adults

aokashi · 02-16-2013, 02:53 AM

i think they're cute :<
but they will hunt your shrimps and grow fat on them...

**Rob in Puyallup** · 02-16-2013, 04:26 AM

Dragon and damselflies are among the most interesting insects one can keep. They're quite aware of their environment. Bright for a bug.

One day maybe I'll get lucky enough to have one stowaway.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S III using Tapatalk 2

02-15-2013, 10:13 PM	#1
shift Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: canada Posts: 937	ID this mysterious creature This little green guy either snuck in with my shrimp or on a plant last night. Not to sure exactly what it is...... __________________ 84G - The Osaka Forest 12G Fluval Edge - Celestial pearl Danios, Boraras urophthalmoides & PFR shrimp 5.5G Fluval Chi - Pumpkin shrimplets 10G - CRS/CBS 10G - Red Rilli's 10G - Yellow shrimp

02-15-2013, 10:17 PM	#2
dougolasjr Invert Addict (View User Tanks) PTrader: (5/100%) Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 773	Looks like a green dragonfly or damesfly nymph. Is it alive and moving. __________________ BAMA AGAIN!!! ROLL TIDE ROLL!!! -Doug

02-15-2013, 10:22 PM	#3
Kitsune_Gem Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Livermore, Ca Posts: 502	If you value your shrimp and fish.. Remove it and kill it.. Its going to make a meal out of your fish and or shrimp. __________________ "And 5, very important 5... Don't let me eat pears.. I HATE PEARS."

02-15-2013, 10:33 PM	#4
shift Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: canada Posts: 937	Its a dragon fly? Yes its alive and its in there with baby CRS/CBS too! okay ill ditch it.. thanks for the quick feedback. __________________ 84G - The Osaka Forest 12G Fluval Edge - Celestial pearl Danios, Boraras urophthalmoides & PFR shrimp 5.5G Fluval Chi - Pumpkin shrimplets 10G - CRS/CBS 10G - Red Rilli's 10G - Yellow shrimp

02-15-2013, 10:40 PM	#5
shift Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: canada Posts: 937	And ofcourse it moved when i went back to snatch it out... hopefully he doesnt eat any of the little guys. Ill keep an eye out for it. Its bright green just like the plants so he has pretty good camouflage. __________________ 84G - The Osaka Forest 12G Fluval Edge - Celestial pearl Danios, Boraras urophthalmoides & PFR shrimp 5.5G Fluval Chi - Pumpkin shrimplets 10G - CRS/CBS 10G - Red Rilli's 10G - Yellow shrimp

02-15-2013, 10:48 PM	#6
rodcuda Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (14/100%) Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Central Florida Posts: 843	Keep looking until you find it. They are vicious. __________________ Rod

02-15-2013, 10:51 PM	#7
sbarbee54 The Security Dude (View User Tanks) PTrader: (47/100%) Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: The Badlands Posts: 2,572	It is probably laying eggs in there so you will be getting larva too scower the tank for it and eggs and get them out look at my thread don't end up like me __________________ 55 Planted Rummys,2 GBR,8 Corys,4 Discus PFR Culls Many shrimp tanks http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...half-done.html

02-15-2013, 11:01 PM	#8
Soothing Shrimp Planted Tank Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (77/100%) Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Illinois Posts: 3,538	Well the good news is larvae doesn't lay eggs. The bad news, if they came in on your plants, you may have more eggs on them. __________________ DBP Club! My thinking has been invert-ed!

02-16-2013, 01:02 AM	#9
sbarbee54 The Security Dude (View User Tanks) PTrader: (47/100%) Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: The Badlands Posts: 2,572	It looks like the fly itself they will submerge to go lay eggs and the. Leave once done laying eggs __________________ 55 Planted Rummys,2 GBR,8 Corys,4 Discus PFR Culls Many shrimp tanks http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...half-done.html

02-16-2013, 01:23 AM	#10
Soothing Shrimp Planted Tank Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (77/100%) Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Illinois Posts: 3,538	You may be correct. My understanding has always been they just stick their tails in the water like an ovipositor, and leave their wings dry. __________________ DBP Club! My thinking has been invert-ed!

02-16-2013, 01:41 AM	#11
rodcuda Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (14/100%) Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Central Florida Posts: 843	It is not a fly, look at the gills coming off the tail. It is still a larvae. but there could be more. __________________ Rod

02-16-2013, 02:04 AM	#12
shift Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: canada Posts: 937	Well hopefully its only the one... I havent been able to find him again.. but i will snatch him out if i do find him. There is far to many plants for him to camouflage on! Hopefully the wee shrimp will not become his lunch. __________________ 84G - The Osaka Forest 12G Fluval Edge - Celestial pearl Danios, Boraras urophthalmoides & PFR shrimp 5.5G Fluval Chi - Pumpkin shrimplets 10G - CRS/CBS 10G - Red Rilli's 10G - Yellow shrimp

02-16-2013, 02:37 AM	#13
MSG Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: East Coast Posts: 270	Make sure you have your removal tools ready. They're absolute masters of camouflage. It's a damselfly larvae. Miniature versions of a dragonfly but still great underwater predators for all things small. Once you decapitate them, they're harmless. I watched my barbs battle with a swarm of the nymphs. Barbs always win, but sometimes it takes a while for them to break free of their jaws. They're essentially a underwater praying mantis until they turn into adults

02-16-2013, 02:53 AM	#14
aokashi Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (12/100%) Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: New York, New York Posts: 1,431	ID this mysterious creature i think they're cute :< but they will hunt your shrimps and grow fat on them...

02-16-2013, 04:26 AM	#15
Rob in Puyallup Opae Ula Crazed. (View User Tanks) PTrader: (3/100%) Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Puyallup, WA Posts: 1,257	Re: ID this mysterious creature Dragon and damselflies are among the most interesting insects one can keep. They're quite aware of their environment. Bright for a bug. One day maybe I'll get lucky enough to have one stowaway. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S III using Tapatalk 2 __________________ 35 gal Hex Shrimp and Celestial Pearl Danio ;29 gallon Endler's only;Petco Bookshelf 6.6 gal Crystal Shrimp and Hitchhiking CPD fry tank; Bookshelf 6.6 gal Brackish Opae Ula Shrimp; Fluval Ebi 7.9 gal assorted Shrimp only.; 10 gallon Opae Ula tank, started Nov 21, 2012. Opae Ula, Hawaiian Red Shrimp, SuperShrimp, whatever...Journal Now... I'm out of room!

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