What else makes loud popping noises?

Subscribed. Every so often I have a very loud clicking sound coming from my tank, sometimes just a couple seconds apart, perhaps this will shed some light.

 

I can hear my pistol clicking if I am in the bedroom and the tank is in the living room.

A small pistol can come in on a number of things and not be noticed.

Yes clownfish do click but the clownfish most likely do this are the skunk clowns and it is not that audiable unless you know what to listen for and not nearly as loud as a pistol.

I think a pistol shrimp is most likely the cause, especially if you hear it at night and a couple of clicks/snaps heard within quick succession.

 

Just like mantis, some species never get big. However, trust me, when they are hunting bristleworms, amphipods, etc. they can make a loud noise.

Sometimes you would be shocked at what can sneak in on corals. I remember putting a coral in my tank years and years ago and watching this teeny-tiny crab scurry off and run into my rock work. At the time, I thought, "Oh well, he's so small he can't possibly be a problem". Boy was I wrong. I named him the red-eyed crab from heck. He did NOT stay small. He got big enough that he was going after fish. Also, one day right in front of my eyes, he came out and destroyed my Xenia quarantine system. I had it on a rock in the middle of my sandbed so it couldn't spread to other rocks. In effect, it was on an island. I watched this jerk come out trim it like it was trimming a hedge, eat once piece, and then run back into the rock. All the rest of the Xenia got picked up by the current to be blown around, land, and grow EVERYWHERE!!! If you ever see an Eriphia sebana in your tank, take it to your LFS so that their puffers and triggers can maintain their beaks. Trust me, they don't stay small. They get big and they get aggressive. eriphia sebana - Google Search

 

Woah crazy story Curt. That is one mean looking crab too.

 

Schackmel has one that's about as big as this. Eriphia sebana | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I found it at the store and she put it in a 10 gallon (by itself obviously). He eats a couple of pieces of krill per day but he's hand-fed now. It's amazing that I don't mind the same species when it's not hiding in a reef tank.

 

Very easily micro bubbles in the water forming together. The air build up will force water out of the shell. Or when empty shells are dropped into the water air will get trapped.

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How "loud" are we talking about here? My pistol shrimp can be very loud.... MUCH louder than the sound of my clowns "clicking" at one another.

Here's an interesting link for those that aren't aware of just how loud pistol shrimp can be. They are actually one of the loudest animals in the ocean.

Pistol Shrimp: The Crustacean that Packs an Explosive Punch