What is this little beastie?

[yeswaitnosorry]

Spotted this yesterday, it's very small. There is a chameleon shrimp in one photo, and the edge of a feeding dish in a few photos for scale.

 

 

[2OFUS]

Remove it ASAP mate

It doesn't look shrimp friendly

It will morph into a predator no doubt

[Shrimp Aqua]

Looks very similar to a lice, sometimes get them when fishing, but thought they were only in salty water.

[fishmosy]

Its a freshwater slater, closely related to the terrestrial slaters you can find in your garden.

http://root.ala.org.au/bdrs-core/nswww/fieldguide/taxon.htm?id=12072

[jayc]

Its an aquatic Isopod of some description.

I've never seen one like that. But have seen some marine isopods.

Most marine isopods are predatory.

 

Get it out asap.

[fishmosy]

Oops forgot to mention, most (but not all) freshwater isopods are harmless to shrimp as they eat leaves and other organic matter. However some are parasitic on shrimp. Might be best to remove it just to be certain.

Edited September 9, 2014 by fishmosy

[yeswaitnosorry]

Thanks for the info. If I see it again, I'll remove it.

[Grubs]

Its not an isopod.  It is a beatle larvae from the family Psephenidae

 

also called "water pennies"

 

link:  http://www.mdfrc.org.au/bugguide/display.asp?type=5&class=17&subclass=&Order=1&family=240&couplet=0

 

Completely harmless to your shrimp... and a rather cool addition to the tank.

You'll generally find them in flowing water in shallow streams stuck to rocks where they graze algae.  If it completes its life cycle the adult beetle will leave the tank  (and no doubt become a little dried husk on the window sill!).

[jayc]

Could be. 

Colouration is all wrong though, compared to the link.

[fishmosy]

I think @Grubs is probably right. The bug in the OP pics has 11 segments. Colouration is not a good indicator as the bug in the link has probably been stored in alcohol, hence its degraded colours.

I was not aware of these 'water pennies' when I suggested it might be an isopod.

Edited September 11, 2014 by fishmosy

[yeswaitnosorry]

Thank you so much @Grubs  It really did look like the thing in the link.

I think it may have come in on a rock that I collected from a strongly flowing stream which seems to be their preferred habitat.

I'll just ignore it if I see it again.

 

PS how do I make the "@insert name" link work?

Edited September 11, 2014 by yeswaitnosorry

[jayc]

 

PS how do I make the "@insert name" link work?

 

 

Click on the @Mention link under the person's name you want to mention. See the @Mention link under peoples avatars??

@yeswaitnosorry