Click click
 

That is the sound in my tank the past few weeks. Usually one or two clicks at a time.

Some very live rock was introduced about 3 months ago. I have trapped and removed 1/2 dozen crabs and there are still more in there.

I haven't seen any mantis shrimp or pistol shrimp although I've looked and looked.

Is it possible the crabs could be making the clicking sound? Is the best approach to watch and wait, remove the rock and go on an aggressive mantis hunt, or continue to set traps?

I've had clicking in my tank for over a year now - and now in the new tank, after the move. Have never seen the culprit, but have a good idea what rock it's in. Not a lot of carnage that I can see - so I suppose it's a Pistol Shrimp or something similar. I just figure if it was a Mantis there would have been a decimation of snails, etc... evidence of considerable violence.

Stange thing though, my Cleaner shrimp DID disappear a little while ago, and it was quite mature... :confused:

Cleaner shrimps just seem to die spontaneously without any good reason. I read somewhere that they have a relatively short life span anyways?

What would be considered short lived. My two monsters have been with me a long time. :question: :eek:

I was wondering if my snapper got big enough to take the cleaner out...

:eek:

agreed ive lost two in the last two months both were eating well shed regularly,then found them half eaten by crabs in the morning.

for what it is worth neither of my two mantis ever attacked snails, only hermits. I figure that the movement of snails was to slow to trigger there hunting, plus I fed them. they did however eat a lot of fish and they were both smashers. a spearer which is more common I believe in rock shipments cannot break Shell's of snails or hermits.

Steve

Well, I haven't lost a lot of fish or hermits... pretty much just the odd snail. Didn't that high-speed video that someone posted a link to awhile back show a smasher going after a snail?

Steve, what and how did you feed your mantis? Were they in your sump? I can't imagine how I would feed a nocturnal ghost like this one I have...

For the people who have mantis shrimp, do you actually see them from time to time?

I remember awhile back Dez up in Edmonton had a pistol in his 150g, said he never did see it, only heard it. As for cleaner shrimp I,ve had mine now for over 2 yrs and at the price of them thats a good thing :mrgreen: