dragon larvae

[eriond]

I just spotted what looks like a dragon larvae in my 4 ft shrimp tank filled with mostly moss. Research thru the net confirms my fear. This bugger is a top food chain predator that feeds on small insects and shrimps ! No site however, give indication on how to get rid of it. It is hiding in my moss wall, God knows how many are there. Does anyone has any idea how to get rid of it ? It is quite tough to find it in the wall unless I tear it down.

[stormhawk]

Using a net, slowly slide it over the surface of the moss wall. It should try to escape by jetting away quickly from the moss wall. This is when you should try to catch it. If it gets away and hides in a thicker bed of moss, then be prepared for more shrimp carcasses.

[eriond]

Finally ! Caught the fella after almost tearing up hallf the moss wall !!! Just to add the bugger can actually change color to match its background ! One hell of a chameleon, about 3 cm. Found a new home though thru the toilet bowl.

[eriond]

Just for safety sake, is there likely to be a second or third or more ??? I only saw one after a thorough search. There are crystals in that tank ! Anyone experienced more than one ?

[Rupert]

I had more than one, probably 5 or so, which took a while to catch, as I was sure each time that I had the last on.

They learn quickly, so if you see one, be quite sure that you can catch it, and they move quickly.

Best of luck


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[ranmasatome]

These guys are so cute!! why does everyone hate them?? i dont get it!!..

[stormhawk]

eriond, I once saw a friend catching out more than a dozen from a single 2 feet tank that he left outside his house. Goodness knows how many there might be in your tank. Of course there might just be that single bugger but if I was you, I'd place a cover over my tank, leaving only some slots for ventilation. This is to deter adult female dragonflies from laying eggs in uncovered tanks placed close to open windows or in an open corridor.

[eriond]

now you guys are freaking me out . but I really have been checking all my tanks religiously every now and then and don't seems to see any more, (pls pls let there be no more). and at 13 floor, you mean those heli-buggers can fly so high ?
cute ? bro ranmasatome, if there are any more (touch wood) you can have them for free

[baranne]

... and at 13 floor, you mean those heli-buggers can fly so high ?

Being on 13th floor does not guarantee you free of such bugs... I also live on the 13th floor and have found 2 other bugs in my tank as well... some flew in.. some may have been introduced in whenever you add new stuff into your tank :

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[eriond]

well, I suppose u r right. I know I have added nothing in for quite a while but I just didn't want to believe that they flew all 13 floor just to irritate me, that's all.
cheers
kelvin

[stormhawk]

Err.. my friend that had more than a dozen of these critters lived on the 24th floor.

[ranmasatome]

Depending on the species..some of the dragonflies dwell only at high altitude and only come low down to feed in at dawn and dusk.. so living high up dont mean you wont get them..

[BlueEL]

Hey hey I caught one from my shrimp tank too. It's only 0.5cm. I dont know if its big enough to eat some of my shrimps .

[stormhawk]

BlueEL, apparently the nymph you caught must have been a nymph of a different dragonfly species as compared to what Eriond caught. Interesting. Sometimes I think we should keep them in a small plastic tank and feed them with some live animals every now and then and wait for them to develop into dragonflies. The adults must be very beautiful animals.

[BlueEL]

Although I wanted to kill the sucker since it might had eaten some of my shrimips. But I want to see what kind of dragonfly it is. So I put it in a small glass bottle. If it can survive that long and become a dragofly then i will post a picture. hehe

Btw, can they really kill shrimps?

[stormhawk]

Although I wanted to kill the sucker since it might had eaten some of my shrimips. But I want to see what kind of dragonfly it is. So I put it in a small glass bottle. If it can survive that long and become a dragofly then i will post a picture. hehe

You'll have to feed it and change water to ensure it survives to that stage. I believe they need something to help them crawl out of the water to pupate and morph into a dragonfly.

Btw, can they really kill shrimps?

With a nasty set of jaws, I think shrimps are a tasty treat for them. But to really find out, sacrifice a shrimp for the sake of experimentation.

Here's an image of a bugger feeding on a tadpole. Taken from www.york.ac.uk

[BlueEL]

haha that's going to be a very expensive experiment since I only have cherries. It would be cheaper if I go get some ghost shrimps. For now it has to eat some flakes haha.

[eriond]

eh, BlueEL i don't think it will eat flakes. read somewhere that this nymphs are usually predators who like to ambush their prey by staying motionless. correct me if i m wrong.
btw, yours being 0.5cm, so small and yet you can spot them ah ?

[ranmasatome]

Blue.. just noticed you are from Canada.... which area?
Anyway.. i think your little guy there should grow up to be a really nice dragonly..

[BlueEL]

eh, BlueEL i don't think it will eat flakes. read somewhere that this nymphs are usually predators who like to ambush their prey by staying motionless. correct me if i m wrong.
btw, yours being 0.5cm, so small and yet you can spot them ah ?

I was joking about feeding it flakes hehe. Maybe it will eat some bloodworms. Yeah its so small and was hidding in the Java Moss. I wouldnt see it if it stayed motionless.
I pretty sure it killed some of my baby shrimps.

Blue.. just noticed you are from Canada.... which area?

Hey ranmasatome, I am from Toronto.