Mantis or Pistol Shrimp?
 

Over the past two weeks I have heard some clicking in my tank. This has occured around 4:00am when the tank is completely dark except for some stray light from the refugium.

My first thought was that a mantis hitchhiked in with my rock, but I read elsewhere that it could also be a pistol shrimp.

I kind of freaked out at first although with a bit of reading about mantis shrimps I am bit calmer here today.

So a couple of questions:
1. How do I determine if the clicking is from a mantis, pistol, or my imagination?
2. If I have a mantis or pistol what have other peoples experiences regarding losses of critters and fish?

I've had a pistol/goby pair for about a year. He will "click" at night sometimes. A pistol shrimp wouldn't go after a fish as far as I know. They would go after a shrimp like a cleaner or peppermint. Investigate your tank with a flashlight after lights out and see what you find. Although my pistol will poke his head out during the day and stay hidden all night.

HTH

It could also be snails clicking against the glass :biggrin:

I will keep looking at night. Another interesting item I saw float by yesterday was a "shrimp" molt. It was about 1/4" in length and looked like a small version of a shrimp you put on the barby. Have not seen this live critter yet.

Doing a jig?

im going thru this right nnow as well my tank is just about 1 year and now i hear clicking wonce in a while and in the last 2weeks my jawfish and tobbacco bass have gone missing, yesterday i found a half eaten cleaner shrimp and saw a sandsifting star upsidedown in the jawfishes old home. later that day i came home to see one of my fire shrimp the diameter of a nickle being dragged under. have set a bottle trap to no avail. just have no time to take apart my tank. im hoping nothing else goes in by thurs when i have some time. if i trace back to day one i can say that i didnt realize that my smallest hermits were going missing i asumed they were growing and killing each other for shells. also noticed one of my marg snails has a crack all the way around.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAw Crap this hobby can be frusterating at the best of times.

I need to do a head count on my snails and hermits as well.

Oscar,

I just bought a pistol/goby pair for my "in progress" nano tank. They are very cool when in a pair.

It sounds to me like you have a pistol shrimp in there somewhere. Usually they are harmless to to most things except other shrimp, like cleaners, etc.

I would keep looking with the flashlight, but I wouldn't worry too much.

The pistol would explain the molt that floated by. I will keep my eyes open. I had been thinking of getting some cleaner shrimp but I will wait until I know what is lurking in the tank.

I have a small pistol shrimp in my tank. It is always moving the sand around to make his burrow. He sometimes piles the sand up pretty high and changes location often. Have you seen rocks or sand collecting up in piles?