Clicking noise

[williemccall]

I keep hearing a clicking noise in my tank ever since I purchased some fl keys live rock, have been seeing some critters such as starfish, featherdusters and some different corals, sponges and clams. Also there are 3 different holes in different rocks that every once in a while spit out a poof of cloudy white stuff. Any ideas? I thought it was a hermit hitting the glass but after plenty of observation I am sure that it isn't.

 

[Flake]

clicking could either be a pistol shrimp or a mantis shrimp. Is it one click or multiple fast clicks?

 

[Affordable Aquatic]

Pistol Shrimp.

 

[williemccall]

it is one at a time, but sometimes a few times in a minute, is it in the hole in the rock or something?

 

[Magma]

Sounds like a Pistol Shrimp, but until you see it be careful if its a mantis they can do some serious damage to your fingers

 

[tlkng1]

Easy way to make sure is to trap it. If it is a Pistol you can keep it if desired but if it is a mantis, you probably won't want to keep it.

Take a water bottle, one of the 16.9 ounce size. Cut off the top at the fattest part of the bottle. Put a small piece of shrimp or other food in the bottle then invert the top you just cut off and put it back into the bottle. Lay it in the bottom of the tank. It may take the night or just an hour or so depending on how hungry the "critter" may be and how close the bottle is to its hiding place. You can always release the pistol shrimp if you want to keep it but mantis shrimp may need to go somewhere else..some people actually raise the things.