Please help ID if this is a parasite

[baranne]

Saw this in my tank this morning and it looked like a parasite to me, so I have taken it out. Please help confirm if this is so and I will throw it away. Now keeping it safely in a small container.

Thanks!

[PeterGwee]

Nymph of a dragonfly or whatever. Best is to return it to nature or worst the chute.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[plumboy21]

Saw this in my tank this morning and it looked like a parasite to me, so I have taken it out. Please help confirm if this is so and I will throw it away. Now keeping it safely in a small container.

Thanks!

Looks like a dragonfly fly to me? It's swimming inside your tank isnt it? Have this little thing in my tank many year ago. I juz scooped it up & threw it away. Doesnt look "friendly" to me then.

[baranne]

Nymph of a dragonfly or whatever. Best is to return it to nature or worst the chute.

Regards
Peter Gwee

Thanks for your quick response, Peter!

So I suppose I can just leave it in any grass patch? There is no pond around my area. I have also accidentally broken its tail while moving it around, I hope it would be fine.

[baranne]

Looks like a dragonfly fly to me? It's swimming inside your tank isnt it? Have this little thing in my tank many year ago. I juz scooped it up & threw it away. Doesnt look "friendly" to me then.

It wasn't really swimming inside, more like hiding inside my CO2 flipper. Probably scared of my fishes?

But it's pretty big size, I would say 2cm from head to toe. How did it grow so big in my tank or did it land into my tank?

[PeterGwee]

Your critters in your tank will make a great meal for him if you leave it in the tank. Well, you can find some canal or small "longkang" and release him there I suppose. His fate is up to himself or perharps you like to raise him?

Regards
Peter Gwee

[plumboy21]

It wasn't really swimming inside, more like hiding inside my CO2 flipper. Probably scared of my fishes?

But it's pretty big size, I would say 2cm from head to toe. How did it grow so big in my tank or did it land into my tank?

Perhaps ur tank is located where a dragonfly can come & breed? When it gets bigger, it may eat ur little fishes?

[baranne]

Your critters in your tank will make a great meal for him if you leave it in the tank. Well, you can find some canal or small "longkang" and release him there I suppose. His fate is up to himself or perharps you like to raise him?

Regards
Peter Gwee

I better keep him out of my tank, else all my little shrimplets would be gone...

Raise him?

This "longkang" good?

[baranne]

Perhaps ur tank is located where a dragonfly can come & breed? When it gets bigger, it may eat ur little fishes?

This would not be good... I have already lost some fishes to white spots which I am still fighting... cannot afford to lose more... soon I would only have a tank with plants left...

[flyinmysoup]

Its more likely to be a mayfly nymph. It'll attach itself to weaker fishes and suck the juices out of them via a specially designed mandible. I'd get rid of it. Where it came from, there's thousands of them in the waterways. One less, no worries....

[baranne]

Its more likely to be a mayfly nymph. It'll attach itself to weaker fishes and suck the juices out of them via a specially designed mandible. I'd get rid of it. Where it came from, there's thousands of them in the waterways. One less, no worries....

Either case, I do not think I would want to introduce it back to my tank.

I think I would just throw it out through the trash, to be safe.

Thank you guys for your feedback!

Just for curiosity sake, anyone sure if it's a dragonfly or mayfly nymph or maybe even something else?

[BFG]

NO!!! Find a pond where it could grow into an adult. It will consume mosquito in turn.

[baranne]

NO!!! Find a pond where it could grow into an adult. It will consume mosquito in turn.

No chance to throw it out yet. But just came back from dinner and found it dead. Not sure if it due to me accidentally broken its tail earlier on...

[BFG]

The tail is the breathing apparatus.

[baranne]

The tail is the breathing apparatus.

That explains it...

[edinjapan]

This would not be good... I have already lost some fishes to white spots which I am still fighting... cannot afford to lose more... soon I would only have a tank with plants left...

A tank with plants only is good! Haven't you read Kasselman or Takeshi Amano? There is a BIG CULT of plants only people. I saw some swordplants Echinodorus sp Sao Francisco at BigBox in Tokyo priced at ¥40,000 for 1. That is US$400 lah!

I also read a report by Tom Barr about reducing disease by using plants.This guy boh beh chow when it comes to green thumb.

[michael lai]

Hi baranne,
might be lymph of some sort of beetle. had 1 in my tank, they built nest using decaying leaves and debris or place them at the opening of the cave they are hiding. Eats whatever that they can catch and I think they morph in 2-3 weeks time. Because I didn't see him after that.

[ranmasatome]

Dear everyone..
that is not a nymph of some beetle, nor is it a dragonfly nymph, nor is it some mayfly nymph... it is a damselfly nymph... the closest anyone got was a dragonfly nymph..of which they both come from the Odonata family..

Will eat shrimp and small fishes.. DOESN't attach itself onto your fish and suck their juices.. Nor is it hiding at your flipper.. Its more of an ambush predator.. it does however have mandibles that are quite unique.. ever seen the retractable jaws in aliens?? pretty similar..lol..

they are so cute aren't they?? just darling..

p.s. those arent its fancy tail... its the gills..

[baranne]

Dear everyone..
that is not a nymph of some beetle, nor is it a dragonfly nymph, nor is it some mayfly nymph... it is a damselfly nymph... the closest anyone got was a dragonfly nymph..of which they both come from the Odonata family..

Will eat shrimp and small fishes.. DOESN't attach itself onto your fish and suck their juices.. Nor is it hiding at your flipper.. Its more of an ambush predator.. it does however have mandibles that are quite unique.. ever seen the retractable jaws in aliens?? pretty similar..lol..

ranmasatome, I think you are right... it does really look like a damselfly nymph...
http://www.bugsurvey.nsw.gov.au/html...da-ny_col.html

I wonder if there are more in the tank that would attack my fishes and shrimps... Anybody has this before and is there any way to find out?

So I assumed the adult damselfly came into my tank and layed her eggs into my tanks?

they are so cute aren't they?? just darling..

p.s. those arent its fancy tail... its the gills..

I do agree that it rather interesting after reading up more information of it (better if they do not try to feed on my fishes/shrimps though... ) and the dragonfly... sometimes what we think are dragonflies in the pond may actually be damselfies...

[ranmasatome]

yes..a lot of people mistake the 2.. the obvious difference being that dragonfly nymph have internal gills whereas damselfly nymph have external gills...

There are other differences but a bit hard to explain la..and i'm lazy..hahaha..