Keep hearing twig snapping.

Maybe I got a hitchhicker with my last piece of rock. I swear I keep hearing, what sounds, like a branch snapping! Could it be a pistol shrimp and will I ever see it and will it damage my tank? I'm getting a mixed message about it from the posts I've read. Some yes get it out, some say leave it alone. Confused.

 

lmao its a pistol shrimp.that would really mess with my head hearing that all the time.i think the only bad thing about it is that they make that noise to temperaraly stun prey.

 

Either a pistol or a mantis. If it's a pistol, you may stand to lose some of your cleaner shrimp. If it's a mantis, you stand to lose some of your snails, hermits and possibly cleaner shrimp.

 

bllllaaahhhhhh yuk ok how do I catch it? I like my snails and my shrimp and hermits!

 

That will depend on what you've actually got. Once the lights go out in the tank, do a bit of exploring with a flashlight and see if you can spot the culprit. Or, take the rock out that you think the critter is living in, smash it and see if you can get it out that way.

 

I thought about doing that with the rock, it's a big chunk and I was going to break in into smaller pieces. I can see tunnels in the rock, guessing that's where it lives. Should I do a fresh water dip? how long? will that kill it?

 

Since you can pull the rock out, your have more options. Some people have had success getting the critters to crawl out by pouring club soda into their burrows. Some have had success with fresh water dips but not many plus by doing that, you'll be killing everything on the rock that you paid alot of money for. Try the club soda first and if that fails, smash the sucker up. Don't kill the critter if you can avoid it as somebody might be interested in purchasing it from you.

 

I have heard the same snapping/popping noise for a couple of years now. Have never seen who is making it. :-/

 

I tore the rock apart and found two little claws, what was left of two little claws. One is red and the other is white. He wasn't in the rock. I'll just leave it alone until I notice my stuff missing then I'll dig him out.

 

Was one claw larger than the other?