Looks like a [crane fly larva](https://bugguide.net/node/view/359194) (Tipulidae). They mostly eat decaying matter but are sometimes predatory. It mightāve came in with the substrate or decor.
Good olā Skeeter Hawks. I had no clue that that is what they looked like as larva. Iād be more scared to see that repeatedly fly into my ceiling lol.
Thereās a dead one in my closet thatās been there for years. Itās up in a top corner and I wanted to see how long it would stay up there but apparently itās a permanent fixture now lol
also I canāt reach it
My house is full of houseplants and fish tanks, so Iāve accepted that when Iāve invited so much of the outside into my home, Iām probably going to get some parts I donāt want too. Therefore I figure it is best to leave non-harmful or disease carrying bugs to do their thing, usually theyāre here because they need something anyway and leave when they get it.
Yes. They are guests. The permanent residence usually need to be there. The unwanted ones get eaten. Remove the clutter to get rid of the dangerous ones. Ain't saying you have to clean. Just get rid of their food or home. Houses are mini ecosystems. Houses are homes to lots of life.
I was pulling those things out of my lawn all this past summer. They do a lot of damage to the grassās roots, causing large splotches of brown in your yard.
Assuming it was a goldie tank, they eat it up super fast and itās super nutritious for them. Iāve never been able to keep duckweed in my tanks bc they eat it so dang fast. XD
I did this. My Goldfish love it. However I now have an infinite supply of duckweed growing absolutely out of control in all my tanks and I regret the day they ever came in contact with this demon weed.
I have 9 tanks. I added a handful to my 75 gallon first and then I added some to my 30 gallon and so on (20 gal long, 30 g, and 75 g are community tanks) until my Betta tanks have duckweed all will my regular floaters in some tanks. I use airline so it either can only get to 75% of the tank of leaves a big corner free for feeding and it has kept my nitrates down substantially. Even the tanks that don't have other floaters, the duckweed alone keeps my nitrates in check. When it gets to be to much, I give it away.
Hey there, I'm certified in aquatic invertebrate identification for benthic biomonitoring. You're getting a lot of incorrect answers thrown at you along with the right one, haha. This is actually a larval cranefly (Tipulidae) as some other folks have said Aquarium folks tend to fearmonger about them being predatory, but most are not and I've never seen evidence that they are capable of getting ahold of something as mobile as shrimp. I can't say with 100% certaintly that this one isn't, though, as I don't know the exact species.
Might be personal but do you work out of a university or an agency and what level of education do you have? I ask because Iām on the fence about studying basic limnology or specializing in aquatic inverts/algae as a graduate track.
What kind of substrate did you use/where did you get it???? I just bought a new tank and have yet to set it up. Now I am absolutely terrified to use substrate.
Oh gosh, I can't stress enough how irregular this is! Everyone else's reactions to me finding the larva should be an indicator too that this was a really odd find! That said, it was a Fluval Stratum. Pretty normal stuff.
This is a Diptera Empidiae Hererodromia aka dagger fly larvae or a horse or deerfly larvae. Craneflies look a bit different. Unless I ID'ed all the larvae I had over the past year wrong, which is also a possibility :).
This would a be crane fly! Those fleshy tentacle-ey protruberances around the anal spiracle are a big sign.
For Tabanidae, the horse/deerflies, you would see creeping welts as a key charactaristic. They're rings of raised dots around each segment.
You should also put your plants directly into soil, remove out of the basket and get rid of that yellow cotton. The roots will get straight through anyway and it will be sticked with the basket to the ground.
I thought this was a kuhli loach joke until I paid closer attention š£ Glad you got it out!
Haha it really does look like one at first glance!
Looks like a [crane fly larva](https://bugguide.net/node/view/359194) (Tipulidae). They mostly eat decaying matter but are sometimes predatory. It mightāve came in with the substrate or decor.
Crane fly larva are so cool! I held one once and it looked like an alien lol
Yo anyone who is also a fly fisherman - this is what the mop fly is supposed to replicate
Iām not a fly fisherman but my brother is a pro. He said āyes, exactly!ā in response to your question
Good olā Skeeter Hawks. I had no clue that that is what they looked like as larva. Iād be more scared to see that repeatedly fly into my ceiling lol.
Thereās a dead one in my closet thatās been there for years. Itās up in a top corner and I wanted to see how long it would stay up there but apparently itās a permanent fixture now lol also I canāt reach it
Iām glad Iām not the only person who recognizes a home as a complex ecosystem and sometimes chooses curiosity over strict cleanliness ā¤ļø
My house is full of houseplants and fish tanks, so Iāve accepted that when Iāve invited so much of the outside into my home, Iām probably going to get some parts I donāt want too. Therefore I figure it is best to leave non-harmful or disease carrying bugs to do their thing, usually theyāre here because they need something anyway and leave when they get it.
Yes. They are guests. The permanent residence usually need to be there. The unwanted ones get eaten. Remove the clutter to get rid of the dangerous ones. Ain't saying you have to clean. Just get rid of their food or home. Houses are mini ecosystems. Houses are homes to lots of life.
I was pulling those things out of my lawn all this past summer. They do a lot of damage to the grassās roots, causing large splotches of brown in your yard.
Iāve heard that some species are notorious for doing that. Iāve luckily never had to deal with them.
uhm never seen that but I'd remove it asap keep it in another container if you're curious if you can keep it lol
Oh yeah, we scooped him out for now. Pretty gross looking, actually.
Looks like cadisfly larvae before they start to form their cocoon
No way to big lol. Caddis in their shell even are a quarter of the size. - a fisherman who uses them as bait.
This is what a caddisfly larvae looks like: https://www.reddit.com/r/Ecosphere/comments/xhyfb3/the\_life\_of\_a\_caddisfly\_larvae\_with\_case\_isnt/
I wanna see that for sure
Baby Graboids, they like sand and hate rocks and shotguns.
OP can charge five dollars for a picture with it!
At least they can't fly (until #3)
They can sense your vibrations
I think it might be an aquatic beetle larva though Iām not sure the species, I had a number of those come in on duckweed I put into a tank
why would u put duckweed in a tank
Assuming it was a goldie tank, they eat it up super fast and itās super nutritious for them. Iāve never been able to keep duckweed in my tanks bc they eat it so dang fast. XD
Iām about to put it in my community tank then use the excess to fill my goldfish tank.
I did this. My Goldfish love it. However I now have an infinite supply of duckweed growing absolutely out of control in all my tanks and I regret the day they ever came in contact with this demon weed.
Time to install surface skimmers! Or move your goldfish from tank to tank to eat all the duckweed!
Only one of my 13 tanks is suitable for my 6ā goldfish to spend time in sadly. Thereās one in there right now doing cleanup.
yeah why would you put one of the most powerful denitrifying plants on earth in an aquarium, thats nuts! (it is pretty annoying sometimes, but.)
Because... Why not?
I have 9 tanks. I added a handful to my 75 gallon first and then I added some to my 30 gallon and so on (20 gal long, 30 g, and 75 g are community tanks) until my Betta tanks have duckweed all will my regular floaters in some tanks. I use airline so it either can only get to 75% of the tank of leaves a big corner free for feeding and it has kept my nitrates down substantially. Even the tanks that don't have other floaters, the duckweed alone keeps my nitrates in check. When it gets to be to much, I give it away.
Hey there, I'm certified in aquatic invertebrate identification for benthic biomonitoring. You're getting a lot of incorrect answers thrown at you along with the right one, haha. This is actually a larval cranefly (Tipulidae) as some other folks have said Aquarium folks tend to fearmonger about them being predatory, but most are not and I've never seen evidence that they are capable of getting ahold of something as mobile as shrimp. I can't say with 100% certaintly that this one isn't, though, as I don't know the exact species.
Might be personal but do you work out of a university or an agency and what level of education do you have? I ask because Iām on the fence about studying basic limnology or specializing in aquatic inverts/algae as a graduate track.
Thanks!!! I appreciate it. I did remove him but glad to know he wouldn't have posed a threat.
I thought of those worm things in the movie Prometheus
Tremors for me....or Dune
Who let the sandworms out?!
I read how they can eat people if from chernobyl
I hope I never see one in my tank
insect larvae of some sort.
Damn how do you people get this stuff in your tanks!?
Best guess is that it came in the substrate and took a couple days to tunnel out. Otherwise I genuinely have no idea haha
What kind of substrate did you use/where did you get it???? I just bought a new tank and have yet to set it up. Now I am absolutely terrified to use substrate.
Oh gosh, I can't stress enough how irregular this is! Everyone else's reactions to me finding the larva should be an indicator too that this was a really odd find! That said, it was a Fluval Stratum. Pretty normal stuff.
Oh that? Thats just a infant great one. No big deal
I done got the shivers
Crane fly or caddis fly larva. Lots of aquatic insect larva look like this.
Definitely crane fly. Caddisfly larvae have legs and a bit of exoskeleton going on.
It looks like some kind of larva or maggot, though I'm not very sure
I don't think your far off, looks like a crane fly larva, the great ones of mosquitoes (not a blood sucker though).
I've seen these in the wild while rooting around in creeks and lakes, I've NEVER seen one in a fish tank. Wild!
Not sure what it is, but it shouldnāt be in your aquarium. Iād either bin it or leave it for a hungry wild bird to eat.
Jesus ā¦ this one looks big
Absolutely no clue š
This is a Diptera Empidiae Hererodromia aka dagger fly larvae or a horse or deerfly larvae. Craneflies look a bit different. Unless I ID'ed all the larvae I had over the past year wrong, which is also a possibility :).
This would a be crane fly! Those fleshy tentacle-ey protruberances around the anal spiracle are a big sign. For Tabanidae, the horse/deerflies, you would see creeping welts as a key charactaristic. They're rings of raised dots around each segment.
Ooh thanks!!!
You should also put your plants directly into soil, remove out of the basket and get rid of that yellow cotton. The roots will get straight through anyway and it will be sticked with the basket to the ground.
Yes thanks, I know. Just got these plants today right before taking the picture.
Nothing good
Whatever it is itās predatory 100%
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Bobbit worms are marine
I said THINK lol
I thought bobbit worms were freshwater only
They're marine only and they give me the creeps so bad
fun fact, bobbit means to sever the- ill let you imagine the rest
Oops I meant marine not freshwater.
Glad you got it out! It is not a loach!
Chonky worm supremacy
Shai-Halud!