Name this hitchhiker/parasite....

[Josho]

Yesterday I purchased some plants from my LFS and had to run off to a party so I just dropped into my shrimp tank.

Today when I was removing the plants from their pots, one of the pots had 2 creatures drop out and scurried around the container trying to find somewhere to hide.

They look like a shrimp but with long 'hairs' front and back and have 'legs' like a brine shrimp/centipede. Only about 2-3mm in length.

Should I be worried about these things inside my shrimp tank? I didn't put them back but there could be others in my tank as I didn't 'disinfect' the plants before I dropped them in.

 

[OzShrimp]

are you able to get a photo closer up?

[Josho]

Here's an almost 100% crop. A bit hard to capture a sharp image being so small, moving around, and handholding the camera.

[Callan]

It looks like dragonfly nymph. It is a bit hard to definitely say because of photo but by shape and head that is what it looks like to me. If this is the case and these are in a shrimp tank it will wipe out your shrimp. There is also a high likely hood if I am right that it wont be the only one. I would be thoroughly checking every bit of your tank just in case.

The question as well is how did these get in your tank? Have you just put a new plant/s in the tank and were these plants from an external pond or water source?  

I lost 90% of my shrimp a while ago and found six of these in the tank and it was transferred from a plant that I took out of my pond. I would be soaking all plants in condys crystals or I think it was hydrogen peroxide. 

[Josho]

The plants were purchased from my LFS so it could have come from a pond.

What's the best way to get rid of them without pulling things apart? 

The two I found I put in some water with No Planaria and they stopped moving in seconds. No sure if they died though or if it was because of the high concentration of NP.

[Callan]

[Josho]

Thanks Callan.

Looking at photos online of dragonfly nymph, larvae and pupa I'm not 100% convinced it is a from a dragonfly. There was a lack of photos but from the ones I could find they were quite large.

If it was I assume I will eventually see it in the tank when they grow and I should be able to eliminate them at that stage by manual removal (yes I would have to sacrifice my RCSs). Any ways to remove them at this stage in my shrimp tank?

I didn't want to disinfect the plants as it was an Anubias Nana and Cuba HC which are fairly sensitive to chemicals. 

The creature reminds of a brine shrimp but looked like it had a shell and moved around the container like a shrimp.

I've got other photos to help. Again, not great quality pics.

Edited August 24, 2015 by Josho

[fishmosy]

It looks like an amphipod. Definitely not a dragonfly larvae. 

http://australianmuseum.net.au/uploads/journals/17867/354_complete.pdf

[Josho]

Thanks fishmosy.

I think you're on the money.

Reading about them it looks like they only thrive when there's lots of food around. I only feed my shrimp 2x a week (though they do have shrimp snow to munch on when they are hungry).

All places I've read says they're harmless to shrimp. Is this correct?

[salvanost]

it's dangerous for shrimp

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gammarus

 

it's different than seed shrimp

this creature is an omnivore

would eat plant roots and little creature

Edited August 24, 2015 by salvanost

[fishmosy]

Some amphipods are omnivorous, some are herbivorous. Regardless I dont think its worth the risk leaving it in with your shrimp. 

[Josho]

What's the best way to remove them (apart from tearing my tank apart)?

Would a planaria trap work?

Chemicals? I.e. No Planaria?

[kizshrimp]

Fishmosy is definitely on the money, it's an amphipod clear as day.