Dragonfly Nymph found in the tank: What to do?

[J-P]

I was pruning and re adjusting the tank today and caught this guy that came out from under the substrate.
Broke out the microscope and did some research:

Dragonfly Nymph. They are very beneficial to the Ecosystem, unfortunately not MY Ecosystem.

I don't know what to do with it. I can't release it outside cause it will die. I can see if the SAPs will eat it, but if they don't, it is going to chew through my shrimp It would be cool to watch it grow up. The only space I have available is my 5 gal Triops tank which I haven't started using yet.

Any ideas?

[Pufferpunk]

If you have a fish that will eat it, then by all means munch away!

[J-P]

just the SAPs.

Tie it in fishing line so it doesn't get away?

[pufferpuggirl]

Aren't they the ones that will actually attach themselves to fish, to feed on? Seems to me I remember something like that because I was thinking how beneficial dragonflies are once they are winged, but how unfish-friendly they are when they are in their aquatic stage. Uncertain about that, but seems I remember something like that.

Yep, just looked it up, they have extendable jaws that can be used to catch tadpoles and fish. Very interesting little blurb on Wikipedia about them. I thought I remembered something like that.

[Pufferpunk]

Ouch! Thanks for checking that out.

[Troender]

Dragonfly nymphs are hungry little predators. They will eat what fits into it's mouth, and probably bigger things too. They are a bit like our puffers: always hungry. Around here they i.e. eat tadpoles, which often can be quite big compared to the nymph. I wonder why so many fish keepers find those nymphs in their tanks. I've had to identify it for several tank keepers.

Can they harm your puffers? Probably not. The fish should be too large for them. But they can take small fish, so I would keep it away from any breeding tank. I wouldn't be surprised if your puffers find the nymph to be a nice snack, but I wouldn't count on it. Dragonfly nymphs are tough little things.

[J-P]

Yes they do have the expendable jaws... yes I think it was eating my shrimp (it is fat). Yes when larger they can kill a minnow.

Thus I don't want it in my main tank

I tried the fishing line thing, it almost worked except the SAPs too off COWARDS!

While tying it I saw that jaw... kind of cool.

Still in a quandry

[Lil' Swimz$]

you---> <---nymph

Lol no it would be very interesting to grow. What eactly are triops? Or what is a triops?

[J-P]

LOL!! I think it might die anyway... I almost decapitated it.

When I let it loose and just tossed it in it went under a rock, had to fish it out again, then it tried to go back into the sand... fished it out again. Now it is sitting in a cup on my desk not looking too well.

[pufferpuggirl]

Read the info on Wikipedia .... depending on which species it is, apparently it can spend quite a bit of time in the aquatic stage. Could be an extended stay in your aquarium. No matter where you put it, you're going to have to feed it something, or it's not going to live.

Shame you can't keep it alive .... they turn into such beautiful and beneficial creatures!

[J-P]

If the temp was just a little warmer I'd toss it into my pond. But we are below freezing at night (still). So maybe my spare 5 gal and let the tripos wait?

[Lil' Swimz$]

Hey I looked them up and they can live for 5 years!!

Personally, I hate big bugs, so there's no way you'd see that in my house.

[J-P]

I tossed in the 5 gal

See if it grows up or not