Lennie Posted May 9, 2023 Share Posted May 9, 2023 Okay. Me trying to breed my bettas. Fun, right. What a chill night it is. Or,,, it WAS. @Fish Folk suggested keeping lights on for 72 hours. Dimmed to the lowest, went upstairs to my tank check if the pair is doing alright. And............... There is this alien looking guy sitting on an anubias leaf?! CREEPY. I always dip my plants. The tank has a lid and it is in my bedroom. I always net my fish. I even use RO water. Aquasoil on bottom. I'm so lost where and how it could came from. What is this critter, and how can it even potentially end up in a tank with a lid on, dipped plants, and in my bedroom! Would it hurt my shrimp and betta? Should I worry that there is more???! There is only one snail, and I have that nerite for almost a year. So I don't think potentially it carried anything. The rest is just betta and shrimp. @Guppysnail @Biotope Biologist any clue guys? Here are the pics. I caught it with a tweezer: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted May 9, 2023 Share Posted May 9, 2023 I think it might be dragonfly larva? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennie Posted May 9, 2023 Author Share Posted May 9, 2023 On 5/9/2023 at 11:13 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said: I think it might be dragonfly larva? I suspect Damselfly Nymph 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted May 9, 2023 Share Posted May 9, 2023 Looks like a damsel or dragonfly larva they will predate on small fish and fry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted May 9, 2023 Share Posted May 9, 2023 or damselfly @Lennie yes maybe more likely damselfly, they do look similar. Either I don't think are good for a tank. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennie Posted May 9, 2023 Author Share Posted May 9, 2023 I'm so lost. We don't even have damselfly or dragonfly living in where I live lol. @xXInkedPhoenixX @Colu How can I make sure I don't have any more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted May 9, 2023 Share Posted May 9, 2023 Oh no! Maybe you recently added plants? They can hitch a ride on them in the egg stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennie Posted May 9, 2023 Author Share Posted May 9, 2023 On 5/9/2023 at 11:23 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said: Oh no! Maybe you recently added plants? They can hitch a ride on them in the egg stage. That tank is fairly new. Around a month or so. However I alum dipped all my plants >_> 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted May 9, 2023 Share Posted May 9, 2023 Were you feeding mosquito larvae by chance… 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted May 9, 2023 Share Posted May 9, 2023 You may have no more issues. I've never had them myself but I think they only way to really get rid of them is to monitor the tank and take them out as you did that one. Maybe give the aquarium a good vacuuming too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennie Posted May 9, 2023 Author Share Posted May 9, 2023 On 5/9/2023 at 11:26 PM, Fish Folk said: Were you feeding mosquito larvae by chance… I only feed frozen bbs, frozen daphnia and freeze dried tubifex 🤔 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted May 9, 2023 Share Posted May 9, 2023 On 5/9/2023 at 4:28 PM, Lennie said: I only feed frozen bbs, frozen daphnia and freeze dried tubifex 🤔 Hmm… rules that out. I’m with the plants-hitchhiker guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted May 9, 2023 Share Posted May 9, 2023 @Lennie damselfly lay eggs by placing a slit in a leaf or stem. Then depositing eggs. Eggs are not always affected by alum as the casing protects the embryo. Netting it is the best removal route. If it is not native euthanasia is the best option. They are fabulously interesting critters and adults are a thing of beauty but releasing non-natives is never good and trying to raise fry with a voracious predator in the tank is not realistic. They do not reproduce at that life stage. Also there may be a few more from the egg group or there may not be. Keep your eyes peeled. They like to burrow in substrate so vacuuming can assist in spotting and removing. 3 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasaltemelosguy Posted May 9, 2023 Share Posted May 9, 2023 @Lennie, this may not be of much help but when we were testing Reverse Respiration, we ran into critters that looked very similar to yours. As we were then testing, I filmed them. Keeping in mind, I never figured out what they were! But @Guppysnail seemed to recognize them and is most likely correct. That test tank became infested with them. However, take a look at one of them after a standard, one-time levamisole treatment (the last video). See if it looks anything like yours: Whatever they were, they hated levamisole. I hope this is of some help: 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennie Posted May 9, 2023 Author Share Posted May 9, 2023 On 5/9/2023 at 11:56 PM, dasaltemelosguy said: @Lennie, this may not be of much help but when we were testing Reverse Respiration, we ran into critters that looked very similar to yours. As we were then testing, I filmed them. Keeping in mind, I never figured out what they were! But @Guppysnail seemed to recognize them and is most likely correct. That test tank became infested with them. However, take a look at one of them after a standard, one-time levamisole treatment (the last video). See if it looks anything like yours: Whatever they were, they hated levamisole. I hope this is of some help: Having hard time looking at these lol 😄 I have levamisole but I cant dose because of shrimp :') 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasaltemelosguy Posted May 9, 2023 Share Posted May 9, 2023 On 5/9/2023 at 2:10 PM, Lennie said: Having hard time looking at these lol 😄 I have levamisole but I cant dose because of shrimp :') I know, they creeped me out too! Then @Guppysnail sent me leeches. I'll let you know how that went once I get out of therapy!🤣 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennie Posted May 9, 2023 Author Share Posted May 9, 2023 On 5/10/2023 at 1:09 AM, dasaltemelosguy said: I know, they creeped me out too! Then @Guppysnail sent me leeches. I'll let you know how that went once I get out of therapy!🤣 I accepted @Guppysnail as she is. She has interesting likings especially when it comes to critters and worms 😄 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted May 9, 2023 Share Posted May 9, 2023 y'all seen the alien from the movie predator... well thats it in its larval form. you dont want it in the tank! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biotope Biologist Posted May 9, 2023 Share Posted May 9, 2023 @Guppysnail et. Al are correct! That is a damselfly larvae. As stated above they cut slits into the stems of plants to lay their eggs. Depending on what time of year they were laid (layed?) they can lie dormant for months. Reason they are unaffected by these treatments is because they then seal the plant back up. Often growing around the unwanted eggs. Same can be said for some Florida Killifish as well! Definitely very Chestburster-like 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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