# Dragonfly invasion!



## johnski (11 Oct 2012)

I've been finding green dragonfly's flyin about the room for the past few month, but couldn't find anything in the tanks. Until now! I spotted the horrible little thing kind of half out, half in the water in my shrimp tank. I tried to murder it but it *swam* off.    

I'm sure I read somewhere that these things are predators and eat small shrimp/fish? If so, they will have been dining on my shrimp for months.  

After the initial attempt at catching the larvae, I came back in to find one half hatched sitting on the heater wire too.   

I'm uploadin some a couple vids of 'em now.


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## Ady34 (11 Oct 2012)

Very predatory! They will most certainly have been feeding on your shrimp! There was a video posted recently of one taking a fish and London dragon stripped his nano shrimp tank down to rid it of dragonfly larvae. Get them out ASAP!


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## johnski (11 Oct 2012)

Ady34 said:
			
		

> Very predatory! They will most certainly have been feeding on your shrimp! There was a video posted recently of one taking a fish and London dragon stripped his nano shrimp tank down to rid it of dragonfly larvae. Get them out ASAP!



Yea I'm gonna strip it all down at the weekend. Nightmare!

Excuse the music. It's better than what was coming out of my mouth when trying to catch it.


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## b1zbaz (11 Oct 2012)

Sorry to be of no use whatsoever but that is absolutely amazing very disheartening on your part because of all your hard work but nature is pretty damn amazing I never even thought about predatory insects and I live near a huge lake


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## johnski (11 Oct 2012)

b1zbaz said:
			
		

> Sorry to be of no use whatsoever but that is absolutely amazing very disheartening on your part because of all your hard work but nature is pretty damn amazing I never even thought about predatory insects and I live near a huge lake



These must have came in on some plants or something. I just hope they haven't got into my other tank. 

Check out the irony of the song lyrics lol.


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## Ben22 (11 Oct 2012)

Savage. Do we know where they are coming from? Are they linked to a specific plant or supplier?


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## johnski (12 Oct 2012)

motionless said:
			
		

> Savage. Do we know where they are coming from? Are they linked to a specific plant or supplier?



I've no idea. The vast majority of my plants come from other UKAPS members.


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## nry (12 Oct 2012)

I had one myself a good few years ago - freaked me out as they're big ugly buggers until they turn into dragonflies!


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## Westyggx (12 Oct 2012)

Off topic but I have that nano light kit johnski do you know if we can get better bulbs for them? Mine isn't very bright.


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## johnski (12 Oct 2012)

Westyggx said:
			
		

> Off topic but I have that nano light kit johnski do you know if we can get better bulbs for them? Mine isn't very bright.



Is it the 300mm bulb? 

£3 from here: http://www.bltdirect.com/products.php?cat=653

Still not exactly very bright, but they're just low output ballasts after all


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## Westyggx (12 Oct 2012)

johnski said:
			
		

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Thanks for that.


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## Ben22 (12 Oct 2012)

johnski said:
			
		

> motionless said:
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I don't believe it, but i think i have the same problem!!! I noticed one today!


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## johnski (12 Oct 2012)

motionless said:
			
		

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No two ways about it mate, that's exactly what they look like. It's an epidemic!


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## LondonDragon (12 Oct 2012)

Had one in my shrimp tank too a couple months back, had to strip it down to catch it, these buggers will eat small fish and shrimp.

Have a look here: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=21512&start=30#p224713


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## johnski (13 Oct 2012)

LondonDragon said:
			
		

> Had one in my shrimp tank too a couple months back, had to strip it down to catch it, these buggers will eat small fish and shrimp.
> 
> Have a look here: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=21512&start=30#p224713



Wow. I'm surprised I even have shrimp left!


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## johnski (14 Oct 2012)

Stripped everything down and didn't find a  single one. Catching 100's of shrimp is not much fun either! I still haven't caught them all yet and I've been on with it since about 12.

Got a boat load of stems and crypts left over, and they look happy in their new setup.


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (14 Oct 2012)

Make a video of you cutting the Larvae slice-by-slice from its rear end. 

Just for fun


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## johnski (14 Oct 2012)

Whitey89 said:
			
		

> Make a video of you cutting the Larvae slice-by-slice from its rear end.
> 
> Just for fun



Here's a slightly less sadistic alternative lol. 

 

That's actually the staurogyne I got off you months ago. Notice how insane it grows in a low tech! *(not)*


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (14 Oct 2012)

Haha that's a nice setup. That'd make me want to cut the larvae up even more


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## Ben22 (19 Oct 2012)

I had to empty the tank and re wash all the plants. nothing has returned yet hopefully. I noticed when washing the plants  tiny larve on top of various leafs.


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## johnski (19 Oct 2012)

motionless said:
			
		

> I had to empty the tank and re wash all the plants. nothing has returned yet hopefully. I noticed when washing the plants  tiny larve on top of various leafs.



I just chucked all my stems out and washed a few other plants.

I found a nymph when pouring the dregs of the tank into a net the other day, got it in a tub on in the window.


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## Gfish (20 Oct 2012)

Does it look like this?




This is just a pic from the Internet of a damsel fly nymph.

Have you seen the hatched adult fly???


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## johnski (20 Oct 2012)

Gfish said:
			
		

> Does it look like this?
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Very similar, just bright green. I've seen about 5 of them, but only have a few blurry photos. 





Just googled it and found this 



 

The green colour with blue tipped tail has me thinking you might indeed be right.


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