I might have a mantis, but not sure

[yimmy]

I've heard clicking noises big & loud from my tank in the past month. I've only heard it twice, Is it a mantis or just my tank stand or my LN buttefly snapping its mouth. I have many small fish in their that could easily be taken out but they are still alive. I did have a cleaner and fire shrimp go though mysteriously. I would appreciate some insight thanks.

 

[fishfiend]

it could either be a mantis shrimp making a meal of your hermits or snails,
or you could have pistol shrimp.
they clack their claws together to make loud popping sounds as well.

 

[bojik]

Kind of sounds like a relay clicking on/off? Could be a pistol or mantis shrimp.

 

[sw65galma]

If its a quick succession of click more likely to be a pistol. One here and there..could be a mantis.

 

[dustbunny]

just to elaborate...pistol shrimp click rapidly (4 or 5 at a pulse) and mantis snap four times an hour or so at their most active with short, unsustained bursts. Also, at what point in the photoperiod do you hear the snaps? Mantis feed throughout the photoperiod if food is available, pistols are mostly nocturnal in my experience. If your shrimp had massive holes in their shells that are largely circular or hammerlike in apperance than it's most likely a mantis.

 

[yimmy]

this is pretty much what happened a month ago I had a click, and a couple nights ago i heard it again. i thought what it could've been, the timers my lights are on?

 

[bojik]

My pistol varies in snap quantity but its typicaly several in a row once in a while only 1-2 and its under a rock most of the time. And usualy when i see it, its in the day with the hi-fin goby.

Though like you said it could be your timers. Some can be noisey. Try removing the timers and doing it manualy to turn the lights off/on for a couple days IF possible.