Very Concerned! What's that snapping?

[predatory_orca]

Hi Reefers,

I have red about some kind of shrimp that pops and snaps its claws, and I have no clue as to which one it is or how big they get. I really don't understand how I could have that problem since I haven't seen any such creature in my tank. The weird thing is I keep hearing this snapping/clicking every so often over near my tank, but when I get close it stops. It's very frustrating. Could I have a tiny hitch hiker? I'm terrified that my heater is about to blow or something, I had one before that sent mercury all over the tank and everybody died. All I have in my tank (that I am aware of) is listed below in my signiture, but I am still very worried. What could be causing this?

 

[ReeferGreg]

Mantis or Pistol Shrimp?

If it's a mantis, I call first dibs, please don't kill it! Catch it with one of the traps with me in mind

 

[predatory_orca]

If it is a mantis, you can have it! I have heard horror stories about what those things do to reefs, and mine is only a very small one, and all my planned stock is going to be VERY expensive. You'd have to pay for shipping if it was. But really, I don't have a clue what it is. Whatever is causing that noise has to be pretty tiny. Could my baby emerald crab be doing it?

 

[Dav]

That noise is no crab. It is a mantis or a pistol. You have two choices on catching it. use the Mantis trap you can buy at the store or remove all the rock after you hear the snap and try and locate the noise. I have a 1/4 in pistol shrimp that and make a snap load enough in my 60 gallon tank that I can hear 15 ft away. It too will not let me watch it and I caught it myself.
I have also heard you can use a red cloth (a shirt perhaps) over a light at night to try and see movement, Then remove where you saw the movement. Both times I have removed a mantis I just place the rock on a egg crate over a bucket with a little water and wait a day or two. The mantis will come out looking for water soon enough. It may kill some life on the rock but it is better than killing expensive tank mates IMO. Still if he is small you have little to worry about, Unless the snapping is just driving you crazy.
Hope that helps
Dav

 

[predatory_orca]

It's not that its driving me crazy, I was just trying to figure what the heck was making the noise is all. I thought my equipment might be going down hill fast. I assumed it might be one of those 2 shrimps, but I don't have anything else in my tank right now, except whats listed in my signiture. What exactly will a mantis/pistol shrimp (whatever is hiding in my tank) hurt? I wanted to buy some new creatures or first corals for my tank later today when I pick up my pay check. Is this going to have to wait until I find the pest? I have heard mantis are holy terrors, but what about pistol shrimp? How big do these things get? Do they pose any threat to me when I have bear hands in the tank? I just took out all the LR a couple nights ago, and alot of LS and redid my aquascape. Still got 10 fingers at last count. Should I be worried?

 

[Dav]

You are talking way to serious. If you are having a hard time
seeing the animal you are probably not going to be attached while your hands are in the tank. As for pistol shrimp. I like them.
I have three in a 60 gallon Seahorse tank (yes seahorse) They only burrow and scavenge for food. I have a mantis also and it all depends on what type you have but the most common I have seen is the snail and crab eaters. They break the shell then eat the animal, leaving you a broken or bare shell. Not a big deal if they are small but when they get larger the can eat quite a bit.
Please read at www.wetwebmedia.com . Do a search then look at pics on that site. It will explain alot about the questions you may have. I would encourge you to buy something cheap the first purchase to mak esure it doesn't disappear to a mantis that is a spearer (eats fish). I am by no means even a novice at these animals but they are very cool to watch once they do not feel in danger in your tank. I keep a 3" green one and he never tried to come close to me. But would come out and hunt and dig while I was watching the tank. He was not even scared of fish larger than him.
Dav

 

[njmar1]

I've even had a peppermint make clicking noises in my 20Gal. Since I have two mantises it sure sounded like one, but when I look back it's just the dumb shrimp...

 

[predatory_orca]

Heh,

Never heard of a pepermint doing that. Ya learn something new every day. Well, I bought a 1" white striped maroon clown today, only fish that is going in the tank, which will be moved to the 300 gallon I am planning for when I get moved to Galveston in about 2 years. I know they get around 6", and are aggressive little sh*ts, very territorial. When I get my 300 gallon finally set up, I want to get a Ritteri Anemone eventually to host my maroon. I love the purple based green tentacled variety.

 

[Reefgoddess2]

You can go ahead and buy corals until you figure out what it is... mantis shrimps don't bother corals.

 

[poplar521]

I jump in too. We caught our uninvited mantis. Didn't kill it. Put it in our rock curing tank in a seperate container. It got out and we thought it had died and been cleaned up by the hermits. The rock is now in the 155 bow front and one week after the transfer the clicks came back. No sign of the mantis or its effect. Beofre we were able to find it after lights out with a flash light. What are the traps?

 

[predatory_orca]

Haven;t heard the snapping in a while, I wonder if my new maroon clown found herself a tiny mantis sized snack during the night.