Is it a mantis??

[ILoveLlamas]

Okey dokey, so I started hearing a clicking sound in my tank about two months ago. Now, I hear it every night, and my two spot goby disappeared. Now that I suspect a mantis, I have started to look at the tank very closely every night to see if I see anything, but I never do. It is only a 12 gallon, so there just don't seem like there are enough hiding places for it to have not been seen all this time. Still, the clicking persists. Any suggestions?

 

[JetCat USA]

could be a pistol shrimp too. do you have any snails in the tank or busted shells of what used to be snails

 

[ILoveLlamas]

I have snails, but no busted shells...

 

[JetCat USA]

prolly a pistol shrimp then.

 

[ILoveLlamas]

Anything I should do?

 

[JetCat USA]

I've never had any problem out of the few I've had. I've got a couple now that are less then 2" size and yrs ago had a couple that were 3-4 inch size. I've heard they can brake the glass with their snap but I've never had that happen, mine click pretty regularly and it can get annoying.

 

[ILoveLlamas]

i want my two spot back. lol. i'm gonna try and see if I can find him.

 

[JetCat USA]

good luck, they aren't easy to catch

also unless the shrimp is large and starved I'd doubt it would take out your goby.

 

[brad s1]

it'd have to be a pretty small mantis to be hidden 100% in a 12g...

a mantis can smash holes in rocks though, perhaps if you have one... it came in on some new live rock?

I keep a Gonodactylus platysoma mantis in a 5 gallon.. he's about 3"...

I put two rocks in there forming a cave... he paid no attention to the cave I made... and smashed a hole into the rock about 4" deep... almost clear through the rock... Now I only see him when I'm feeding or when he's out for a cruise...

Mantis clicking is loud

 

[Pea-brain]

Ciould be a few things. Mantis shrimp are diurnal mostly so I doubt it. Could be lights, snails moving on glass, etc. etc.

Dan

 

[hoosierpat]

Pistol shrimp are not a problem. If you put a shrimp goby in the tank it will be attracted to the clicking and will form a symbiosis with the shrimp and then you will find out where the shrimp is hiding. They don't crack tanks or anything so don't worry. On the other hand if it is a mantis putting the shrimp goby in will just be feeding it.

 

[Angel7989]

what you could always do is a fresh water dip of your liverock, if there is a mantis in there it will come rushing out
btw if you do find a mantis be sure to catch it and tell us, someone will for sure take it.

 

[ILoveLlamas]

i'll try dipping my live rock today or tomorrow. i stared into the tank again last night, and I think I saw something rush into a hole when I got close.

 

[JetCat USA]

unflavored seltzer water (carbonated water) works best for flushing critters out of the rock.

 

[ILoveLlamas]

Well, I did a quick dip in RO water, with no results.

 

[ILoveLlamas]

(except of course copepods, dirt, sand, bacteria, and some sort of wormy thing)

 

[Angel7989]

I would say that you are most likely hearing a snail shell hit the glass then, which happens in my 24g aquapod and gets me excited for a second until i realize what is happening hehe

 

[jdieck]

Normally pistol shrims click more than once in two or three fast clicks while the snaps of a mantis is usually once then wait.
Also most mantis will drill in the rock while pisto shrimp will dig the sand under a rock, if you see sand bull dosed out from under a rock it is probably a pistol.

 

[JetCat USA]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10795893#post10795893 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Angel7989
I would say that you are most likely hearing a snail shell hit the glass then, which happens in my 24g aquapod and gets me excited for a second until i realize what is happening hehe

a crab or snail shell hitting the glass is a very different sound then either of the shrimp.

Jose

my pistols only click once. they are the green/clear common to the Florida Gulf coast variety.

 

[Angel7989]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10796004#post10796004 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JetCat USA
a crab or snail shell hitting the glass is a very different sound then either of the shrimp.

Jose

my pistols only click once. they are the green/clear common to the Florida Gulf coast variety.

I would have to disagree with you there I have a 4inch O.S. mantis and it almost sounds exactly the same as a shell hitting the glass the only difference is the loudness level and the sound of a mantis hit can be muffled or deflected by any number of things. thats my .02cents though