Please help,weird sound from tank.

[UrbanChick]

Hello everyone. Im new to this site so I hope I have posted in the correct section.

For the last couple weeks I've been hearing a strange sound coming from my tank. The only sound I can compare it with is like somebody is tapping a pebble on the glass, or also similar to when you hear a spark of electricity. It's surprisingly loud, and I hear it mainly at night. I only have a small nano tank with a couple black and white Clownfish, a couple Green Chromis, a Fireball Angel, and few hermit crabs. I also have a little goby with a shrimp. I have heard that Pistol Shrimps make a clicking noise, but the shrimp I have paired with the Goby isn't one. It's faint yellow in colour with 2 white bands across it. I'm pretty sure the noise has only started since the shrimp and Goby moved in,and it the sound seems to come from the rock they rest under at night. Could this shrimp bang that hard on the glass at the bottom of the tank,as he's moved that sand from right at the bottom. I've looked on the net and can't find anything that says such a small shrimp could make that noise. I've not found anything else in the tank 'shrimp-wise'. I've turned everything electrical off for a couple minutes while the noise was happening incase it was an electrical spark coming from somewhere, but it didn't stop.

Please can anyone help me??8O

 

[goisles1]

Hey... Welcome to the forums...

Does your tank have LiveRock? If so, you may have a hitchhiker like a Mantis Shrimp

However, I bet it's your Shrimp doing it...

EDIT:
Is this your shrimp??
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+525+1148&pcatid=1148

If so.. they do CLick

 

[UrbanChick]

Heya. I do have live rock, but if there was a Mantis shrimp I'm sure I wouldve seen it by now as I only have a small tank.

This is the shrimp I have:

http://engineering.curiouscatblog.net/images/shrimp_goby.jpg

Would he make the click noise??

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Couldn't see your picture.

Mantis shrimp are really smart buggers. If you had one, I wouldn't expect that you would've seen it.

Just how small is "small" when it comes to your tank size? With two clowns, two chromis, and an angel, I would hope you'd have something bigger than 30 gallons or so? Even at that, things still would be fairly cramped.

 

[goisles1]

Mantis shrimp - Do you have alot of Dead or missing snails or crabs? Usually a good sign from what I hear.

Any missing fish lately??

 

[UrbanChick]

It's about 30 gallons, and they are still baby fish atm. Will upgrade to a nice big cube tank when they start getting bigger.

No no, I still have all my red leg hermit crabs and have all my fish. It looks like that picture you posted but not so stripey. Not sure if anyone else can get the link I posted. I found another picture of my shrimp and uploaded it.Hope it works

 

[roka64]

That looks like a pistol to me. It could be a mantis hiding, are the multiple quick snaps or a single snap? It could also be a snail's shell tapping up against the glass from being to close to the ph's flow.

 

[UrbanChick]

I dont have any snails. And the tapping is very loud. The tank is in my room and it woke me up lol.

The taps are one after each other mostly. I've had live rock in my tank for about nearly two years,and it's only recently Ive heard it. Any corals Ive added have been on rock without any holes or hiding places in them. That's why it puzzles me that it's only started up since Ive had the shrimp and Goby.

So, you think the shrimp might be a type of Pistol and that it could be him? He's so tiny tho lol. If it is, it's amazing how much noise he can make

 

[Tank2379]

You did not by any chance pick those 2 up from eBay did you? I have the exact same combo and your Pistol Shrimp looks like a Wild Pistol Shrimp they will click and Clack constantly I got so tired of the noise I moved him to my QT tank for the time being.... He also basically wrecked everything in my reef so I had to move him out of there.... But if you have not seen or notice anything dead in your system lately I would say it is that little guy making all that noise....

 

[UrbanChick]

No, I would never buy fish online. Got them from a good company called TMC here in the UK.

Well, I don't mind putting up with the noise if it is the little guy making it lol. It was just worrying me what it was. Hope it is him lol.

Thank you greatly to everyone who has posted to help me

 

[Tank2379]

I would double check at night with a flash light just to make sure you don't have a Mantis in there.... There is a lot of creepy stuff that happens at night in those Tanks....lol...

 

[CluelessInNY]

I would think if your fish and inverts are all alive and kicking, that it's NOT a mantis. Check your inverts...keep a count. If some are dying off or you see empty shells, you might have a mantis.
It seems odd that it started when you got the shrimp. I am betting it's the shrimp making a ruckus.

 

[nanoluvr]

No, I would never buy fish online......

I invite you to try it some time. I've actually had, for the most part, really good experiences with online retailers. Of course, un the UK, it may be a little different.

 

[UrbanChick]

Well there's always that worry for me about the condition the fish is in when it arrives. You can see the fish in a shop so know how healthy it is. Plus, I worry too about how the fish is transported. I guess it's worth a try if you know a few people that have received good species from a certain place and recommend them.

 

[thincat]

I reread your post and you say that the tapping sound is mainly at night. This means that you can hear it during the day also. Your PH or other pump may have picked up a pebble and that is making that tapping sound that you are hearing...Just a thought...

 

[UrbanChick]

Can't be as I turned everything electrical off while I was hearing it as I thought it was an electrical spark, but then it carried on.

It has to be this little shrimp..... I hope I heard a couple taps last night straight after I turned the lights off, then that was it (until I fell asleep of course lol). Maybe its a warning/panic sound from the shrimp because of the light change in the tank?

 

[Tank2379]

Can't be as I turned everything electrical off while I was hearing it as I thought it was an electrical spark, but then it carried on.

It has to be this little shrimp..... I hope I heard a couple taps last night straight after I turned the lights off, then that was it (until I fell asleep of course lol). Maybe its a warning/panic sound from the shrimp because of the light change in the tank?

Nope he's giving your Goby the Warning (The Lights Are out protect Me!!!!! Click,Click)

 

[thincat]

Is that the "international Goby Distress sign"....click-click ;D