Snapping noise - driving me nuts!!!!!

[Pazil]

OK heres the deal for the last 4 weeks I have been hearing a snapping noise coming from the tank. I have 1 for sure pistol shrimp that I purchaed about 3 months ago in there. I know his snapping and it is extremely loud. The snapping I am hearing is much quieter and coming from a different area of the tank.

I have not added any new rock to the tank in about 10 weeks. Is it possible that there could have been a mantis or pistol shrimp in there since I added this rock and have not seen him at all .... even once. I try to find the source of the snapping every night for at least an hour after lights out.... This and first thing in the morning is normally when it is most active.

Has anybody else ever heard of such a thing.... For something to be in there for this amount of time without being see.....My sanity is almost gone:twised::twised::twised:

Please help!!!!

Cheers
Stressed out Lawrence:neutral:

[lobsterboy]

yeah i hear the same coming from my tank, at first
(which was 5yrs ago) i thought the tank had cracked. anyways turned out to be a crab. took a flashlight at night, and got him out, and the cracking stopped.
in the new tank, i still hear it everyone once and a while. not as bad as before.

[Steve-O-]

LOL ya i had this before and it drove me batty! Everytime i looked it stopped one day i saw a Alien like head come out and look at me. I grabbed the rockl fast and a mantis jumped out onto my carpet!! I was like SWEEET ITS OVER!! Guess what. CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK!! never did find out what it was sold my rock

[fishytime]

Well....it could be a crabs shell clicking the glass.

[Leah]

My tank is snapping as I type this, I just got used to it LOL! What can you do!

[i have crabs]

i just spotted a second mantis in my tank after 3 months probably, heard snapping and never cared much untill i seen the jerk, now everytime i hear snapping im stressing out that the fish dont end up dead, i bought a trap from bigals for $20 if it works you can have it after im done

[Pazil]

i just spotted a second mantis in my tank after 3 months probably, heard snapping and never cared much untill i seen the jerk, now everytime i hear snapping im stressing out that the fish dont end up dead, i bought a trap from bigals for $20 if it works you can have it after im done

Awesome... Thanks.... John can you confirm that... It was a crab that was making the clicking .... snapping sound. I know that I have at least one crab left in there (Ihave bannished about 12 of them to the sump) that I can not get at. I will try to indentify it. I never really considered that it could be a crab.

Doug where the sound is coming from is the center to top area of my left tower... so no glass.

Cheers
Lawrence

[reef bound]

We've had our 180g up for about 10 months, and even now, after a thorough search of the rock we originally put in, we still are finding little critters like crabs and little pistol shrimp and little mantis shrimps (I think). They must have been miniscule when we first got them because the ones we are finding lately aren't very big at all. Pistol shrimp is now about 3/4" and mantis was only about 1/2". Found a nasty little box crab about 2" that I'm sure was eating my zoas. And yes, we still have the clicking, too. Moral of this long story, even when you think you get the noise-maker out, you'll probably have another one or two in there. Good luck with the hunt.

[Pazil]

Dam..... This is our 5th reef tank and I have never had this before... lucky I guess.... Hopefully I we will find the little #$@%@@& soon.

Thanks
Lawrence

We've had our 180g up for about 10 months, and even now, after a thorough search of the rock we originally put in, we still are finding little critters like crabs and little pistol shrimp and little mantis shrimps (I think). They must have been miniscule when we first got them because the ones we are finding lately aren't very big at all. Pistol shrimp is now about 3/4" and mantis was only about 1/2". Found a nasty little box crab about 2" that I'm sure was eating my zoas. And yes, we still have the clicking, too. Moral of this long story, even when you think you get the noise-maker out, you'll probably have another one or two in there. Good luck with the hunt.

[paddyob]

Snap snap. I hear yah. Over three years and has Never been seen. i think its a pistol. hopefully. got used to it after a while. ah, the joy of reef keeping. all the more reason to wear gloves in there, you never know.

[my2rotties]

What are the pistol shrimp snapping at? I saw a show that documented them and it shows one killing a cleaner shrimp. I am wanting a pistol shrimp for my system, but don't want any risk to my peppermint, cleaner and fire shrimp.

[Pazil]

What are the pistol shrimp snapping at? I saw a show that documented them and it shows one killing a cleaner shrimp. I am wanting a pistol shrimp for my system, but don't want any risk to my peppermint, cleaner and fire shrimp.

I currently have 2 cleaner shrimp, 2 peppermint shrimp and 1 (that I know of) pistol shrimp that is paired up with a shrimp goby. They reside in different sections of the tank. The cleaners and peppermints cross paths all the time after lights out when go exploring and the pistol shrimp lives under one of my tower or LR. He is not seen very often.....but I have not had any issues thus far... All have been in there for about 4 months together.

What the pistol shrimp snaps at????? I think whenever anyone (fish iincluded) get to close to the entrance to his cave he lets out a snap to warn them off. I also believe that he snaps when he is collecting his food.

Cheers
Lawrence

[i have crabs]

usually i would guess pistol shrimp unless other signs like dead crabs and snails,
i once bought a pistol shrimp that was so loud i couldnt sleep and i had to catch him and take him back after a couple weeks.
so far all the snails and crabs seem to be alive but i did have 2 pepperment shrimp dissapear but after checking out the tank non stop and not finding anything i gave up and if i didnt see the mantis with my own eyes i wouldnt believe it.
sofar the trap only catches mystery wrasses.

[new but handy]

Pistol shrimp eat other types of shrimp in the wild. The snapping sound is a shock wave that stuns the prey.

[new but handy]

here you go
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKPrGxB1Kzc

[Pazil]

I am familiar with the sonic boom for catching prey... I was simply sharing my experience.

Cheers
Lawrence

Pistol shrimp eat other types of shrimp in the wild. The snapping sound is a shock wave that stuns the prey.

[new but handy]

Sorry I wasn't trying to be a d**k, just throwing out some interesting info. FWIW I think I have a pistol and I have 2 cleaners and 2 peppermints (I think the peps are still in there) Apparently mantis shrimp will only snap once or twice where a pistol will snap several times in a row.

[Pazil]

I guess you never know until you actually find the source.....I am still curious if this is the hitchhiker crab in my tank making the noise, but I can't get him out without tearing EVERYTHING down!!:twised::twised:

Sorry I wasn't trying to be a d**k, just throwing out some interesting info. FWIW I think I have a pistol and I have 2 cleaners and 2 peppermints (I think the peps are still in there) Apparently mantis shrimp will only snap once or twice where a pistol will snap several times in a row.