I'm not 100% sure on this but I do think some hermits can make the clicking sound. (more like I hope so ) I have a rather large left handed hermit and I'm positive it's him that makes the clicking noise most of the time. I have 2 pistols and I do see and hear them once in awhile.

OK so if I buy some assorted snails - Turbo, cerith,etc. and they live in my tank for a while can I then assume I don't have a mantis?

I remember once having the strangest piece of live rock. It was a small tonga branch that had this hole in it the size of a pencil lead. Every once in a while, I'd see this thin crustacean arm poke out and grab around the adjacent areas to the hold. When disturbed, the animal inside would make loud clicking noises. Anyway, that was a long time ago and I never thought to break open the rock to see what was inside. I always figured it was some form of pistol shrimp though, completely encased in an old tonga branch.

Actually, now that I think about it, this does pose a pretty interesting question. The hold did look like it was constructed. I figured the animal just kinda drilled into the piece of coral while it was alive (most animals that I can think of living in coral only live in live coral) and just spent the remainder of it's life there even after the piece broke off and ended up in the rubble zone where it was eventually collected as live rock. That all being said, I wonder how old that shrimp was...

Wish I still had that rock.

I always saw it, it used to come out and stair down my cat even.. kinda drove the cat nuts but it was funny. the little green one I only saw when the big one was baracaded in his hole at night.

AJ-77, I fed them krill, chunks of scallops, and the ocasional damsel :rolleyes: out of 7 yellow tailed damsels there was only 1 they couldent catch. I did feed the bigger one by hand once but he was still pretty timid at that point after wards I used a hollow acrylic tube that I could stuff 1/2 the krill into and then dangle it around his hole. he would wack the stick a couple times then come take the food.

Steve