I finally saw it!

[hisc1ay]

That clicking that's been going on forever...I finally found the culprit. I can't believe that such a loud friggin snap comes from such a small dude.

I have determined that it's a pistol shrimp. He looks like a regular shrimp, except he's got one claw bigger than the other. He's less than an inch long right now, but he's red with black tips on the claw. I'm glad to know it's not a mantis. :)

Mystery solved!

-j

[strictly marine]

usually loud clicking noises are from pistals.

[ranceego]

Ive heard of those thing being as loud as a gunshot. Marvin had on in his house and he said it would wake him up at night it was so loud

[hisc1ay]

Mine often does wake me up. :)

-j

[hisc1ay]

Well, I saw the pistol for the second time ever on Thursday.

I was home sick, and I decided to stare at my tank. The 6-line I got a couple weeks ago was poking around like he was wont to do, when he darts into this intendation and comes out with a tiny red shrimp in his mouth, who is *not* happy with the situation at hand and is snapping like crazy. I watch as the wrasse beats the shrimp against a rock trying to stuff it into his mouth. I get mad and yell, but what can I do?

A few minutes later, after the carnage ended, the wrasse began to at oddly. He just stopped in one spot and moved his mouth. There was no more darting about. I didn't see him at all Friday, then on Saturday I happened to catch a glimpse of his tail behind a rock. I figured he was resting, because wrasses like to rest, right? Sunday, I couldn't see anything, and now I have a red algae bloom.

So this just sucks. I lost my pistol, and then I lost my wrasse because of it. Piece of junk!

-j

[griffey83]

Wow your pistol was able to do enough damage to kill a 6 line wrasse. That was an expensive fight for you.

[hisc1ay]

Well, the pistol was hardly a few centimeters long. Definitely no more than half an inch. I think it might have choked on it. But yeah...that was a fight I didn't want to have. :) But the pistol also came on some rock I got, so he didn't cost me money.

-j

[bblair]

I've had one for a year, since my tank was set up. I still haven't seen it. I just hear it all the time.

[ranceego]

wow, that sounds rough