what is this strange impostor in my filter..video

willow

ahh i see, i had a jewel tank some time ago,used it for my frogs in the end.
still have the filter box and pads though i think,as i had removed it
to give more space,and used an external.

willow

my intake on that tank was nearly on the bottom,used to pick up
so much,i was forever cleaning the sponges on it.

rhymon78

the tank is planted and I don't really vacuum the substrate, I do what I can but its not very much. I do water changes, but i don't go digging thorough the substrate. I have had a major move around replanting etc which kicked up a lot of debris which was obviously filtered out. those pads are like less than a centimetre thick and filter everything out of the water, my bacteria sponges are spotless. I change those filters at least once a week, if I notice the the return from the filter lacking a little I'll change it out more than once a week. Not sure what else I can do? its not like its been sitting in the filter for months..........

rhymon78

Intake is at the top, those thin white cotton pads are supposed to be weekly changes, they are that colour every time I change them. its all the decaying plant mater, and when I move stuff around it kicks up a cloud from the substrate. planted tank, so the gravel doesn't get vacuumed really. I do what I can.

Anyhoo, back to the issue at hand... that Larvae thing, not the disgusting vile state of my filter pad.

Boredomb

If the intake is close to the bottom ad Willow said plus being a planted tank that explains it. At least you know its working. I just have never seen a pad that dirty.

Boredomb

The larva thing doesn't look like a Dragonfly nymph to me. Not sure what it is? Pretty sure its a nymph of some kind though.

willow

those larvae are veracious feeders,and will chomp on tadpoles
from what i can remember,

rhymon78

yeah, like you said at least its working. they go brown like that after a couple days, I wouldn't know any different as they have always been like that. not had anything else to compare too...

Boredomb

It looks more like a Damsel fly nymph from pics and your video.

willow

pretty when they emerge from the water, i get them around the pond
in the summer,so pretty.
have you got a pond ?