Strange 'eggs' in my tank

csdax

csdax

Not Crazy!
Mar 6, 2006
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London, Ontario, Canada
I've found something strange in my tank - some kind of eggs, I think!

They are in clumps of about 1/8 " (3 mm) in size, which might contain about 10 'eggs'. They are tiny dots, surrounded by clear goo. It looks like frogspawn, but much smaller. I've found about 4 clumps of the eggs on the plastic plants in my 5 gal breeder tank.

The contents of the tank are:
1 pregnant guppy
1 pleco
1 algae eater
3 v small snails
1 unidentified 'bug'

The bug is about 1/4 " in size. Dark colour. Straggly legs. Submerged in the water, not on the surface. Picture attached.

Any ideas what this bug is, and whether the eggs are from it?

Bug2.JPG
 
can you get a picture of the egg sacks? sounds like snail egg clusters.

also a clearer picture of the "bug"
does it have 6 legs or 8 (trying to rule out an arachnid)
 
Dangerdoll said:
the eggs are most definitely snail egg sacs and the bug, I'm guessing more than likely it's a dragonfly larvae.
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Snails? Cool! (Snails are good, right?)

What would you recommend about the bug? Keep it or kill it? I've tried to get a better picture, but it's very difficult.

Thanks
 
I wouldn't want it in there. Whether it's good or not, I'm not sure.

as for the snails, depending on your water parameters and feedings, you may quickly become inundated with them. A lot of people cosider these types an eyesore. They are common pond snails.

Your tank is a bit small for the pleco, he's going to need upwards of a 75 gallon tank to grow to his full potential. What kind of algae eater is it that you have?
 
It's most definetly a dragonfly or damselflylarvae, both are carnivorous and can eat things much bigger then themselves. They are known to eat fish, tadpoles, salamanders, and other arthropods. Depending on the size it is now, I would watch your fingers if you decide to catch it.
 
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I would think it's a dragonfly larvae over the damselfly because of the shape. Typically, the dragonfly is more round bodied and the damselfly larvae is more long and thin. As mentioned above, not a friend for the tank....
 
Dangerdoll said:
I would think it's a dragonfly larvae over the damselfly because of the shape. Typically, the dragonfly is more round bodied and the damselfly larvae is more long and thin. As mentioned above, not a friend for the tank....
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Dangerdoll and Gkeren are correct... The order Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) lay their eggs in the water, which hatch into aquatic nymphs (called naiads). They are predators and will kill and eat other insects, tadpoles and fish! If you still have it in there when you guppy gives birth to those new fry I'de worry that they would be eaten, or even your guppy being eaten prior to that. Get it out of there ASAP.

Here's my question to you though. How did you get a dragonfly or damselfly naiad in your tank in the first place? Do you have live plants from the wild? Use pond water or something?
 
It's out! Creepy-looking bug! :eek:
JoeRags3 said:
How did you get a dragonfly or damselfly naiad in your tank in the first place? Do you have live plants from the wild? Use pond water or something?
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I've no idea how it got in there. Nope - I don't use pond water, and the only places I've ever gotten plants from are Superpet and Walmart. Mystery!

That probably explains what's happened to my guppy fry, though. I've been watching the tank for a few days, expecting fry. I found one yesterday, but it looked at least a day or two old. I guess the rest must have been eaten!

I'm not sure what to do with the snails. There are already quite a lot of tiny snails in there, so I'll remove any eggs I find. Would having too many snails be harmful or just not pretty?

Thanks for the advice!
 
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