What...Is...THIS THING?!

[benzjamin13]

I saw a few of these with the ghost shrimp tank at a lfs today. What?!

 

[HPIZZLE]

cant tell. not used to small fish. if i saw it one of my tanks i would think it was a turd.

 

[benzjamin13]

It's not a fish...it looked like a walking stick...an aquatic walking stick!

 

[dzb912]

hard to say
can u get better pics?
mabey some kinda shrimp?
or water bug?
i cant realy tell

 

[cr8on]

Maybe an aquatic stick insect, Ranatra sp?

 

[southerndesert]

It appears to ba a Water Scorpion (Order: Hemiptera; Family: Nepidae) they do look like a walking stick....

They are a predator and Water Scorpions get oxygen through long breathing tubes at the base of the abdomen. They look more like sticks than like insects. They are up to 10 cm in length. They have three pairs of jointed legs. The front pair has a set of single hooks for capturing and holding prey.

Cheers, Bill

 

[Mampam]

yup, a water scorpion

i had first seen one years ago (some one caught it)

i remember when i first caught one, (like 3weeks ago) it was awsome

i caught 2 very recently

 

[Camshaft Ramrod]

I would sometimes get those in with my fish shipments on accident at Petsmart. I'd stick them in my plant tank. They're cool to watch.

 

[z5nick]

I used to get them when i worked at Petsmart too. Used to feed them guppies! They would suck out their innards and just leave an empty body floating in the tank.

 

[chefjamesscott]

i woulda bought it looks cool