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Thread: What is this insect??

  1. #1
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    What is this insect??

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    Hi all, last night while admiring my shrimps, I suddenly saw movement in the substrate. I focused hard and thought my ADA soil granule was moving. Lo and behold it's an insect or whatever creature! It crawled and moved like an ant. I wanted to take it out but it was too fast. Disappeared into my thick vegetation!

    Today I saw it again. I grab my pincer and tried to grab it. No resistance. Then I realize it's a shedded shell.

    What is this creature??
    ImageUploadedByTapatalk1334410637.489587.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1334410662.482150.jpg

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    Looks like a small dragonfly nymph.
    Small is beautiful.

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    It looks like a dragonfly nymph. If you find one, very likely there will be more. The prey on shrimps.

  4. #4
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    Re: What is this insect??

    These things move by jet propulsion when spooked. You might have better luck finding it at night when the lights are out. Use a torchlight.
    Fish.. Simply Irresistable
    Back to Killies... slowly.

  5. #5
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    My only option is tear down my tank to hunt them down. Too much vegetation to catch these buggers!

    Given that if they are dragonfly nymphs, their morphing cycle should be 40 days +++ thereabouts right?
    After that they should be full fledged winged insects and won't lurk around in my tank?

    I really think these bugs came with the plants and not the mama fly that came lay eggs in the tank.

    So after 40 days, my shrimps are safe?

    Uploaded the pic of the actual fellow caught last night again. Previous pics was just his molted shell.

    ImageUploadedByTapatalk1334563410.064852.jpg

  6. #6
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    Re: What is this insect??

    Quote Originally Posted by prodrive View Post
    My only option is tear down my tank to hunt them down. Too much vegetation to catch these buggers!

    Given that if they are dragonfly nymphs, their morphing cycle should be 40 days +++ thereabouts right?
    After that they should be full fledged winged insects and won't lurk around in my tank?

    I really think these bugs came with the plants and not the mama fly that came lay eggs in the tank.

    So after 40 days, my shrimps are safe?

    Uploaded the pic of the actual fellow caught last night again. Previous pics was just his molted shell.

    ImageUploadedByTapatalk1334563410.064852.jpg

    Er... not really i think they will lurk longer.

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    Wow. Liao! Nymph stage can last up to 4 years! You are right, it ain't going to be just 40 days.

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    Ok guys. My war preparations are just about done, and I'm ready to go for war now. Going to tear the tank down.

    Have be stalking the tank after last light but no sight of enemy.

    Moved my shrimps to my breeder box already. Need to move my nerite snails and otos also.

    Need your advices if the following steps ( and whether done correctly) is sufficient for victory.

    1) remove all my rooted plants. I hope to reuse them. I'll uproot and give it a good shake. Is rinsing and some rubbing in a pail of tank water enough? Read somewhere to soak in club soda. Where to get this. Soda water is it from NTUC?

    2) now my most disheartening part, my hc. In afraid the bugs or eggs still lurk in them so need to rip 'em all out. Do these guys tunnel into the substrate?

    3) soil leave it.

    4) Rocks remove.

    5) HC if but new and start over how to ensure no eggs. Come to think of it, when I was planting, I did notice small little white round stuff like eggs.

    6) filter running all these while. Once water clear. Seek and destroy. There won't be any escapees in my 2215 canister as I previously wrap the intake with fish net.

    7) use back 70% of water.

    Then, is back to setup. Square one again.

    Side note, How to safe shrimplets lah, so small.

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    Re: What is this insect??

    There is always casualties in war.

    Try to use the tea strainer or tea net to see if you can get any shrimplets.

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    Re: What is this insect??

    Only in the adult form will they lay eggs, so the only issue here is whether you still have any more lurking in your vegetation. Typically, any eggs you find on your plants are mostly snail eggs but there are times when damselfly and dragonfly eggs are laid on them. I'd watch the tank at night from this point on, since if there's any more left, they will come out to look for food, especially when their source of food is no longer in the tank with them.

    Use a long pair of tweezers to disturb the vegetation. When spooked they will move very quickly through the water, and that is when you will roughly know where they are. They do not tunnel into the substrate.

    The fine nets meant for adult shrimps will also catch the shrimplets.
    Fish.. Simply Irresistable
    Back to Killies... slowly.

  11. #11
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    Thanks for the advice stormhawk. Appreciate it. I'll hold back launching the offensive for a few nights more. Think of reset really damn sian...... Akan datang.

  12. #12
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    Re: What is this insect??

    Don't have to reset actually. They'll come out on their own. Sometimes, it doesn't mean you find one, there will be others. These nymphs are cannibals too.
    Fish.. Simply Irresistable
    Back to Killies... slowly.

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