Looks like a drangonfly nymph to me... but that is purely a guess.

 

^^^^^^^^Ditto

I had a dragonfly nymph in a tank about a year ago.....now that I think of it I found about this time of year. Hmmmmmm

 

I'd bet on it being a dragonfly (or maybe a damselfly) larva.

Whatever it is, it looks carnivorous.

Bill

 

omg.. i would freak out if i find something that big

 

I haven't told my girlfriend, I know she would freak out if she saw this guy in our pretty aquarium...

 

Looks like a dragonfly nymph, they eat fish/other creatures and take up to 2 years to mature.

 

Definitely a dragonfly larva. They are very predatory and have a fantastic mask that shoot sout to eat their food of small fish, invertebrates and basically anything that moves. You might want to get them out of your tank...

 

He'd also be a tasty snack for any fish big enough to eat him.

 

Wow, thanks for all the responses, definetly seems to be a dragonfly nymph. I'm not sure how I'm going to get these guys out of my tank without ripping all the plants up, but I'll figure something out. I guess I can plan on not having any cherry shrimp babies while these guys are around. At least they won't reproduce and take over the tank (right?).

 

It definitely won't reproduce as this is only the juvenile, or larval, stage. In fact, AFAIK, they don't even have reproductive organs yet! To reproduce they must metamorphose into the adult stage.

However I'm not sure how you're going to get them out of your tank I'm afraid.

 

reproduction doesn't happen underwater, if you think shell freak out, wait until she comes home to a few dragonflies buzzing around hehe get em out if you think she'll be bothered by the nymph