Weird tapping sound from tank

[dellrio]

these past 2 weeks i have been hearing a strange tapping sound coming the my aquarium,... im not totally positive of the source.. but. i think it may be the glass or a brace or soemthing like that... maybe i am just paranoid.. but does anyone else experience this? maybe its normal? sometimes its just one tap.. sometimes there three..... it is making me nervous.

[SeaView]

There are two hitchhickers on live rock that can make a clicking or snapping sound. Pistol shrimp and Mantis shrimp. Pistol shrimp are a fairly peaceful addition to a reef but mantis shrimp can attack and kill fish, snails, other crustations, etc.

[dellrio]

thanks for the reply
i dont think its any of those.,.. b/c if it were.. i assume i would have heard the sound earlier.. i haveny added new live rock in months....

[Whisperer]

Look at the snails on the glass. They wiggle their shell as if trying to get rid of something and in so doing hits the glass and cause paranoia to its owner. :)

[dknape]

I have a snail doing this as I type right now. However, due to the incrdible speed of the snail, he is unable to get out of the cause of this (power head) very quickly, so the tapping continues for awhile.

If you are only hearing it once or twice, I don't see how it could be caused by a snail either.

[dellrio]

well.. i can rule out snail.. i was right up to the glass and heard sorta where it was kinda coming from... and i only have 2 snails.. and they were all on the rock some place else....

[Reefgeek911]

I agree with everybody else that it's a mantis shrimp, or pistol shrimp. I found on ein my tank after 3 months that had made no noises, and i had not added anything. just decided to start "clicking" away. Probably the biggest odds of what it was/is. Thus far mine has not bothered anythign, fish, shrimp, or other..but i definitely know he's in there as i finally saw him about a month ago, very awesome color! If you want you could try a trap to seei f you could get him out, if you are worried about him attacking smaller fish/shrimp (if it's a mantis and not a pistol)..but mine has been fine for a month or so,so i think you will be fine.. HOpe this helps

[moose88]

I had the same problem when I decided to hide my mother-in law's body in my reef. The tapping quit after a few hours...Just kidding..I love my mother- in-law...and I don't think my tank would handle the bio load..

[dellrio]

moose.. yer a sicko.

i will start looking for the matnis.. is there a good time that they usually show their faces?

[Reefgeek911]

Mine always start "clicking" five or ten minutes after "lights out" (11:10 or so). I've seen him out almost every day, runing around 30 minuets or so afterwards "searchign" for food. I put krill in occasionally to feed him, down on the bottom, and he snags it up fromt eh hermits and runs off. Has yet to kill any of them that i can tell, same with snails....

[Atticus]

My guess would be a shrimp, but some fish make noises also... Have any Bangaii in there? They make a croaking or popping sound when threatened.

[dellrio]

i will keep my eye out for a mantis,...

nope.. no new fish....