Weird 6 legged grasshopper-like green bug with barbs at the end.

[Madlax15]

Hi, I just found this thing sitting on one of my plants. It appeared out of nowhere today, funny enough today is the day I removed my blue tetras from my tank as well, now I can actually see some of my aquatic creatures(blue tetras are jerks to other fish).

Anyways, this thing has 6 legs, red eyes, it's green but from the front it looks transparent, has a sort of flat body, and 4 barbs on its tail. I captured it and it's currently sitting in my large net in the aquarium along with some fish food. Oh yeah, and the head looks like that of a praying mantis.

What is it and is it safe for my tank?

[Urban Aquaria]

Its a dragonfly nymph or damselfly nymph... they prey on shrimps and small fishes. Remove it as soon as possible.

[Madlax15]

Oh, thanks! It's a good thing I caught it then. It does look predatory tbh and it wasn't really eating the plants, it was sort of lurking suspiciously, so I wasn't going to leave it hanging around. I wonder which species this one is, I can't find one like it online. Should I kill it? I don't want to just dump it in the water supply in case it's a potentially invasive species or something like that.

[Urban Aquaria]

Oh, thanks! It's a good thing I caught it then. It does look predatory tbh, so I wasn't going to leave it hanging around. I wonder which species this one is, I can't find one like it online. Should I kill it? I don't want to just dump it in the water supply in case it's a potentially invasive species or something like that.

They are common critters in local ponds and streams, part of the natural eco-system... not so suitable for aquariums though, as they hunt the livestock we keep, hence its best to remove it.

Most likely the one you encountered hitchhiked in as eggs or tiny nymphs on newly introduced plants (which are usually grown in plant farm ponds).

I guess next time it'll be a good idea to check and clean new plants before introduction into the tank.