Clicking sound...

[Cavalier2123]

When viewing the tank up close I can sometimes hear a faint clicking sound on the glass. I thought it might be the glass of the tank "settling" against the weight of the water, but the guys at the shop tell me it is some kind of very small animal making a sound with it's legs much like a cricket. Anyone have any info on this?

 

[fishcatch22]

When viewing the tank up close I can sometimes hear a faint clicking sound on the glass. I thought it might be the glass of the tank "settling" against the weight of the water, but the guys at the shop tell me it is some kind of very small animal making a sound with it's legs much like a cricket. Anyone have any info on this?

it's probably a mantis shrimp... any unexplained deaths lately?

 

[USCavalry19d]

Mantis Shrimp most likely. Probably a good idea to try and find it when the lights go out one night and get it out of the tank. They can be pretty bad little things.

 

[Cavalier2123]

it's probably a mantis shrimp... any unexplained deaths lately?

Sort of... The first fish I bought were a school of 7 small blue damsels. They died 1 about everyday - 5 in all. The last 2 have proved hearty and have gotten much bigger. Also a small black and white clownfish didn't even last a day before he died. I mentioned in another thread a few minutes ago that I have seen a small shrimp looking critter in my live rock... Sound like the culprit?

 

[fishcatch22]

Sort of... The first fish I bought were a school of 7 small blue damsels. They died 1 about everyday - 5 in all. The last 2 have proved hearty and have gotten much bigger. Also a small black and white clownfish didn't even last a day before he died. I mentioned in another thread a few minutes ago that I have seen a small shrimp looking critter in my live rock... Sound like the culprit?

most definetly, and i'm 99% sure he's the one whos been killing your fish. the sooner you oust him the better, but be careful, those things can mess you up BAD if you're not careful.

 

[Cavalier2123]

most definetly, and i'm 99% sure he's the one whos been killing your fish. the sooner you oust him the better, but be careful, those things can mess you up BAD if you're not careful.

Sounds bad. What do they things do? How would I go about catching him?

 

[Cavalier2123]

sometimes referred to as "thumb splitters" by modern divers — because of the relative ease the creature has in mutilating small appendages — mantis shrimp sport powerful claws, formed like jackknives, that they use to attack and kill prey by spearing, stunning or dismemberment. Some pet mantis shrimp have managed to break through their double-paned aquarium glass with a single strike from this weapon.

-from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantis_shrimp

Sounds like a nasty little critter. Though the shrimp I have seen are very small, move very fast, and never leave small openings in the live rock.

 

[Cheech]

I'm pretty sure what you saw on your rocks were copepods.. They're very common in live rock, and are beneficial as well.

As fishcatch said though, you might have mantis shrimp in your tank. They're very hard to catch.. They do sell traps though, but I haven't tried any yet.

It can also be a pistol shrimp (which are pretty safe.)

Do you hear the clicking/tapping in the day, or after the lights go out?

 

[Cavalier2123]

It seems to happen at all times of the day.

 

[Germanman]

my aquarium just had a crack sound this second its my tiger pistol shrimp that lives with my watchman goby. hes harmless and makes a loud but not powerful crack noise. mantis shrimp make a noise that you could hear from about 30-50 feet away. the one at my work can be heard outside or in the back room with the door closed over music. if it was killing your fish you wouldnt find any full bodies they would be mere scraps i feed the mantis at work about 2 large pieces of krill and a half silver side a day and nothing is left. hes actually quite a good pet he takes food from me and will crack on the acrylic tank until i feed him. but if you have a glass tank and it is a mantis they can actually break the glass....i recommend a trap they work well if baited with some fish or krill. if its a pistol youll catch it with a mantis trap to. oh and the small shrimp you see are pods if the swim in circles in the rocks and are a brown to copper color.