Aquatic Insect in my Tank?!?!

[poindexter]

i was checking out my fish tank last night and i found a small (not too itty bitty tho, like it was prolly around 1.5 cm if you stretched it out) insect type thing running around on the gravel. it was nasty. what types of bugs live in fish tanks?? is this bad? should i get the lil guy out and flush him? help!
~dEx

 

[wuvmybetta]

if it looks like a tiny white worm it's probably planaria, they come from too much protein in the tank (overfeeding), no worries, they're harmless and your fish will probably eat them (if thats what they are mind you)

 

[poindexter]

it wasnt a worm , it had like 4 or 6 legs on the front then it had a long tail thing that arched up like a scorpion, and it had a little head like an ant. i'm so wierded out by it. ~dEx

 

[MartinB]

It sounds like a Dragon-fly larva.
Thay live for 2 year before turning into Dragon-flys.

I would take it out if i was you.
Thay can bite!

 

[poindexter]

ok so i found the lil bugger (literally) today when i was searching for my african dwarf frog, and as i was chasing it around to get it out i am pretty sure that i saw one of my barbs eat it. and you know what, now that you mention dragon fly, thats totally what it looked like except with no wings and a kinda curled up tail/body thing. freeky. so dragon flies live in water before they fly?? wierd. and how the heck did a larvae get into my tank! its not like i'm in a tropical place here! i'm in freakin canada! hehehehhehe k thanks a million for the info!!! xoxox ~dEx

 

[freshmike]

lol....your own wee pet dragonflies...awww.

 

[Mamaschild]

I have found a couple of those in my tanks. I believe they came in on plants, but can't be sure???

Freaky looking thing to find in your tank, isn't it

 

[MartinB]

I believe they came in on plants, but can't be sure???

Yes your right. thay lay eggs on the plants.

larger dragonfly larvae are known to catch and eat small fish or fry. Usually they eat bloodworms or other aquatic insect larvae.

I was getting rid of my fish pond and found I had over 200 newts in it.
So some people came around from a nature reserve and took them out.
Thay also found lots of dragonfly larvae and thay went mad over them.
I spent the next hour being told all about dragonflys.
I did not think it would ever be usefull.

 

[snowrat2004]

i had some damselfly larvea in my tank last summer, they are similar to dragonflys but the larvea look different. we figured that they got in there from a damselfly that was in the house a few weeks before i noticed them. they caught a couple of my fry but not that many. once they were about a half inch i put them in the pond outside my house.

this is damselfly larvea
http/dnr.state.il.us/orep/ecowatch/RIVER...bugs/DAMSEL.htm

dragonfly larvea
http/trog.cs.umb.edu/streams/streamsKey/...y/aeshnidae.htm

 

[Nix]

Wow that almost sounds funny (almost)


Kinda odd, They live in water for two years??

hmm.. Think they'd go well in a tetra community..

 

[poindexter]

TRUST ME!! you DONT want these lil things in ur tank. they look viscious!
i *shudder* at the thought of them! eeeeeeew hehee i'm such a baby
~dEx

 

[leck85]

haha... that sounds wicked..... ive seen the larvae things on TV and they look freaky..... u shud have caught it and put it in a jar and let it grow up... then u could call yourself a dragonfly conservation technician

 

[Inchworm]

Hi snowrat2004

Thanks for the excellent links. I've put them into favorites.

 

[wuvmybetta]

I would flip out if I saw something like that in one of my tanks! :kira:
Thanks for the links snowrat, it's nice to have a pic to confirm the horrible vision I had in my head