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Mayfly/damselfly help please

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Dondon2

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Hi everyone. I'm freaking out a bit! I've just had the shock of my life when I've noticed a mayfly larvae in my tropical tank. I'm currently cycling my tank and I'm very nearly done after 5 weeks!
Nothing is in there apart from that awful thing and loads of pond snails! Awful I know they must have come in the plants even though I thought I treated them! The pond snails don't bother me as I will get an assassin snail if needed but the mayfly larvae.... Urghhh.
What do I do with it? How do I know there's not more? I don't want to start again as I've worked hard getting my tank ready :(
 
Is it a mayfly for sure or damselfly? Can you get a photo?

Best thing would be to manually remove it. Catch it in a net and toss it in an outside pond or lake, theyre good for the environment.

Damselfly larvae for reference for you
20200711_233937.jpg
 
Reference for mayfly larvae, which if it is, tbh I wouldn't be as concerned as they seem to be mostly herbivores.

nature.mdc.mo.gov

Mayfly Larvae

Mayfly larvae (also called naiads or nymphs) are slender and soft-bodied, like adults, though they lack wings, have a series of leaflike or feathery external gills attached along the sides or on the top rear portion of the abdomen, have smaller eyes than adults, and often have a flattened head...
nature.mdc.mo.gov nature.mdc.mo.gov
 
Thank you for your reply. I'm pretty sure it is. It's like that but a different colour, like a light beige. I've tried to get a pic but it's really hard and can't find it again now.
 

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It's not a mayfly larvae by the looks of it. I'm in the uk if that helps.
 
Okay yeah thats a damselfly larvae. The can be different colours.

Only way is to catch it and remove it manually. Use a net .
 
Thank you for your help. I'm going to see of I can catch it tomorrow. We have a local pond, do you think it would be ok to put it in a local pond?
 
Yeah it will be fine to put it back, or even put it outside in a pot of dechlorinated water. Mosquitoes will lay eggs in the pot and the larvae will feed it until it turns into an adult and fly off. Just leave a stick hanging into the water for it
 
Luckily I haven't got anything in there yet! I don't even know how it's surviving even the snails since I'm still dosing with ammonia. Thank you for your help ncaquatics
 
If you've seen one then there could be more. I had problems when I put a new plant into my shrimp, saw 1 and removed it then a month later found 10 more over the course of 2 weeks. I just use Tropica plants now from pets at home so I don't have to worry about hitchhikers again.
 
AbbeysDad said:
I don't understand why so many hobbyists hate snails as they are really beneficial...

Mulm, and Algae, and Snails, Oh My! – MJV Aquatics

mjvaquatics.com mjvaquatics.com
Click to expand...
I like them too, but some people don't like them all over the glass or possibly eating plants.

I had to get assassin snails for one of my tanks. I keep Farlowella twig catfish who eat soft algaes and biofilm... same foods as the snails. So the ramshorns were not getting enough to eat so they started eating my plants.

Not a problem in my other tanks though, where I don't have farlows there.

I particularly like a couple in my fry tanks. They clean up excess food thats missed by fry. And they are pretty cute
 
I am over run with them. I wanted to get ottos so I was not cleaning my glass or anything as I wanted to build up a good supply for them but no chance of that. I started off with very little and I must have about 40 in there now at least also they do like my plants too :(
 
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