My tank looks like a bomb went off!

[gwhiz]

I've had a clicking in the tank for some time, and after 5 Mantis shrimps I pretty much know what that means. And I know that there are a few hairy Xanthid crabs in the tank of various sizes that are starting to be a problem. So, when the new Aurora Goby came up missing, the new starfish lost a foot, and one of the brittle stars was missing the end of his leg...and my wife said she saw the Mantis...it was time to tear the tank apart.

A few hours of work later...removing every rock, soaking them in hypersaline water, picking through the good crabs, bad crabs, etc. and basically throwing the rocks back in the tank, it looks like a war zone on the planet Mars. The fish and corals are a bit freaked.

The bad news--no Aurora Goby anywhere (I checked the sump,overflow, floor, you name it), and no Mantis........but 17 hairy Xanthid (Gorilla crabs) of various sizes are out of the tank. (Some are having a sleep over in the little Mantis tank.)

The good news...14 small porcelain crabs. And the clicking--three small (less than an inch) pistol shrimp. Amazing that something that small can make so much noise! Oh...and during the tear down, the Peppermint shrimp swam away from a rock...."Oh...that's what I saw" said the wife...so much for a reliable Mantis report!

Now I'm wondering how many Xanthid's I missed and put back in the tank!

Tomorrow evening I'll put the tank back together and assess the damage....

 

[gwhiz]

Thanks David. Glad to hear that Manny is doing well!

I pulled 5 mantis out of that tank. Manny's little brother ('bout 1.5" long) is in a 2.5 gal. He's got entertainment tonight in the form of a couple of small Xanthid crabs.

My wife isn't allowed to tell me about the tank when I'm travelling on business unless there's a flood or something's floating. Last week I heard "One of the anemone's doesn't look good, it's covered in green algae..." it took a few minutes to figure out that she was looking at the green flower anemone which has green tentacles....I really gotta make a users manual for the tank.......with color pictures!

 

[roundman]

Not to highjack this but this brings up a question. My tank has a click not very often but occasionally. I can not see anything that would cause it. I do have 2 small emerald crabs will they do this or do I have something else in there?

Thanks

 

[gwhiz]

I've got three red mythrax crabs (related to emeralds) and they don't move fast enough to make any noise. If it's an occasional pop, it's likely a pistol shrimp. Like I said above, I've got three and I'd never seen them. They were only 1 inch long and I could still hear 'em loud and clear across the room.

 

[mfliin]

WOW,

Where did you get these animals? New live rock hitch-hikers, new corals, etc...If it was on the live rock, where did you get it because it sounds like there is a lot of life (sometimes not in the good form, but lots of life) Thanks

 

[gwhiz]

mfliin;146186 wrote: WOW,

Where did you get these animals? New live rock hitch-hikers, new corals, etc...If it was on the live rock, where did you get it because it sounds like there is a lot of life (sometimes not in the good form, but lots of life) Thanks

The bulk of my live rock came from Tampa Bay Saltwater. And it does come with a lot of life and hitchhikers...wanted and unwanted. Below is an example of the rock as it came in the box. It was on the bottom of the gulf of Mexico on Thursday and in my tank Friday night.

The biggest drawback, other than the unwanted hitchhikers, is that some of the pieces are quite dense with minimal holes or other structure. I've also added other live rock--so who knows where all the critters came from!
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[budsreef]

Somehow I missed this thread last week. Bummer about the tear down. For you guys with random clicking do you use stealth heaters? Some of them make a very distinct click when they turn on.