What Is This Creature?

[biggerfish]

ummmmmm the offspring of our dark lord Cthulhu honestly no idea lol looks like its just some water insect. Anyway its dead now and your fish tank can rejoice. 

 

[Madjonny]

It's eating a snail?!

That must be why mine survived this long, I have quite a few snails from the plants too...

A pretty hardy creature too, iv been cycling and had nitrate readings off the charts...

 

[Ny82]

That's disgusting. 

 

[stanleo]

Dragonfly larvae come in many different forms. Also there are a number of different water beetles so it could be a species of that. Bizarre looking!

 

[daizeUK]

Am I the only one who thinks this thing looks cool?
Could be a nice alternative to assassin snails

 

[Sophie]

Am I the only one who thinks this thing looks cool?
Could be a nice alternative to assassin snails

 
Until it jumps out and attaches itself to your face like a facehugger from Alien, then sucks your internal organs out so all that's left is just an empty shell! 

 

[Ny82]

Lol! So dramatic

 

[laurac94]

Never knew they were called face huggers.. But that is what they will be known as in my mind now ;-)

So what is it? I found an exoskeleton of a weird insect in one of my tanks.. Maybe it was one of those ;-) I hope it was.. Insects are cool

I would like a pet alien from the movies.. I would take it for walks and it would love me like my dogs do... Is this off topic lol??

 

[Nordk]

Kill it with fire!

Most likely a dragonfly larvae, see if a google image search matches what it was.

 

[GrumpyJohn]

Umm, strange!
 
Not the creature, but the fact that it seems perfectly acceptable to just kill it without question. I presume it would be OK to do the same should an unwanted fish turn up in my plants?
 
Off topic I know, but just a thought . . . .

 

[the_lock_man]

Umm, strange!
 
Not the creature, but the fact that it seems perfectly acceptable to just kill it without question. I presume it would be OK to do the same should an unwanted fish turn up in my plants?
 
Off topic I know, but just a thought . . . .

 
So, how come you're called GrumpyJohn?

 

[ReddSamurai]

damn nature you scary

 

[GrumpyJohn]

 

Umm, strange!
 
Not the creature, but the fact that it seems perfectly acceptable to just kill it without question. I presume it would be OK to do the same should an unwanted fish turn up in my plants?
 
Off topic I know, but just a thought . . . .

 
So, how come you're called GrumpyJohn?

 

 
 
Haven't a clue?
 
What's it got to do with you anyway? 

 
 
 

 

[tha pint]

Woah . It looks big and bitey . Don't like anything like that in my tank . Had tons of these wee hair like worms swimming about my tank and it freaked me out. When you lifted the lid you could see them squirming about where the light hit . Tanks taken down so I think they're gone....hope so!

 

[Ch4rlie]

Looks like a dragonfly larvae or nymph to me. Have seen them when studying pondlife and does look remarkably similar to these.
They do come in many shapes and forms but that is one of them as far as i know.
They are proper little predators and will just about kill and eat anything, including little fish!!

Can grow a couple of inches long and have a special lower jaw which can grip and eat their preys and also can shoot jets of water from their abdomen!!
Interesting but completely horrible brutal little critters!!
You'd never know it looking at Dragonflies flying around but brutal nonetheless!!  
 
If anyone ever sees one of these in your tank, take it out pronto otherwise your small fish, shrimps and snails are dinner for them!