Help - Do I Have A Baby Shrimp?

[CANicholls]

I hope someone can help.  This morning, cleaning my 60L tank (guppies/platys/tetra and one shrimp (yamato I think), I have found an unusual creature!  Tiny, long, thin, green, front legs like a shrimp with a forked tail.
 
My shrimp is in the tank for about a month now - could it has been pregnant when I bought it from the LFS?
 
Or is this some sort of worm/parasite that I need to get rid of and worry about the health of my tank?
 
Thank you for any help you can give me!

 

[Lunar Jetman]

Do you have a picture? We could assume it is from your description but a picture would confirm.

 

[DrRob]

If it is a yamato shrimp then sadly the answer is no. The larvae require brackish water to develop as they get washed downstream into estuaries and then return upriver to breed.
 
A photo would help.
 
Damselfly larvae aren't all that uncommon in tanks and can be a risk to fry and very small stock.
 
http/www.dragonfly-images.co.uk/communities/2/004/006/874/072/images/4530452320.jpg

 

[CANicholls]

Thank you Dr Rob - that is exactly what it is - damselfly!  I'll do some research on how I should treat tank now but any tips appreciated.

 

[DrRob]

Catch it. Remove it. Personally I'd try to drop it in a local pond as the damelflies are beautiful, but I wouldn't want one wandering around in a livebearer tank.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I had a Damselfly in my tank a few months back... scared the heck out of me as I thought it was some sort of scary parasite! LOL

 

[Baccus]

I recently had a damselfly infestation in one of my shrimp tanks. I only realised something was wrong when I had noticed some dead cherry shrimp (part of a special breeding program, so not the standard red), and started investigating. Then I saw one young damselfly, an hr or so later and I had found approx 20 damselfly larva and only 3 of my special cherry shrimp left.
Damselfly and dragonfly nymphs can totally wreak havoc in a tank with no predators. So as soon as I can I will be adding some spotted blue eyes to the tank with the invasion (I am likely to get more interlopers I am sure), in the hope that the blue eyes will take care of any future invaders before they can eat their way through my shrimp stocks again.
In your case with livebearers I am surprised the Guppies etc never ate the damselfly, before it was able to get really comfortable in your tank. My Guppies are dedicated eaters off almost everything they find in there tank.
Depending on how your hitch hiker got into your tank (laid in there like my tank or came with weed), I would keep a close eye out for any more.

 

[CANicholls]

Thank you everyone.