Aquatic Larvae

Many insects which are terrestrial as adults have aquatic larvae. Notorious among these are mosquitos. Most aquatic insects have aquatic larvae.

Caddisfly Nymph

Caddisfly Nymph
Trichoptera

Caddisfly larva build tube-like cases of sand, sticks, leaves, or other material.

Stonefly Nymph

Stonefly Nymph
Neophasganophora spp.
larva to 2"


Dragonfly

Dragonfly - Adult & Nymph
Anax spp.
larva to 1 "
adult to 3"

The clumsy-looking Dragonfly larva is actually a fierce predator, with protrusible jaws like something out of "Alien". Adults are often seen buzzing around ponds and lakes.



Dragonfly
Dragonfly
Dragonflies are anything but tame - this one was blown out to sea and exhausted

Sargassum Fish

I prefer natural-looking decor in an aquarium. That pretty much rules out fluorescent plastic skulls and little air-powered pirate ships. There are a large number of items that are available to furnish an aquarium, and many of them are even free.

Gravel is available in almost any color you want. All fish have at least some control over their color, and will usually try to match their surroundings. Therefore, I go for darker colored gravels that make the fish's colors more intense. The same goes for the aquarium background - black paper works nicely. Artificially colored gravels are OK, but when they split open the true color inside shows through, giving a salt and pepper effect that you may or may not like. You should have enough gravel to cover the entire bottom of the tank to a depth of at least one inch.