The Puffer Forum

so i have been hearing this noise for a little while now. i have not added any new rock or fish in months, maybe even close to a year. it sounds like a crunch, as if i fed my GSP a crab. i have heard this noise while looking at my puffer many times and hes done nothing that could have made this noise. not even moving his mouth. all the rock i have, which is probably around 40ish pounds. all used to be in my 75 as i was adding to it slowly and to try and help "boredom" not overcome my puffer i would switch the rock around to different formations every two months or so. so i have seen under the rocks many times and have inspected them. there is one that has a little hole that goes into the rock but i have had that part stick up so i could see it at all times if im watching the tank. and nothing. the most i have seen are these little pods im guessing that scurry to get back under something and bristle worms. never anything that can produce the noise i hear. i might have to try and get a recording of the noise some night or something. i did have one mysterious death of my clownfish. no chunks taken out of him, my starfish was eating him though so i couldnt really inspect a freshly dead carcass. all levels are good on my tank, i try to stay on top of it even with my busy schedule. but the clownfish was the only thing that has died mysteriously. all other fish are fine and the clownfish like i said didnt have any type of chunks to make me believe my puffer did that and he was fine the previous day, eating his flakes and pellets even the scraps that get spread through the tank when my puff takes a bite. anyone experience some sort of noise like this? ive been wondering for a while what it was but never could figure it out. i have tried looking in my tank in the middle of the night with a flashlight and the most i see are little pods coming out and trying to stay away from the light.

Been there! In my case It ended up being the occasional bit of argonite sand that not only got kicked up enough to be sucked into an impeller, but also made it between the impeller magnet and the walls of the housing, taking just one grating moment to be ground to dust. I'd check all your impeller magnets for rings scratched into them.

even though i have a canister that sits under the tank in the stand and i can clearly hear the noise coming from up in the tank, not down towards the stand. maybe the noise has traveled through the piping up to the tank and basically echoing the whole way up til it has an escape which would be the outlet that is in the tank...??? i swear it sounds like my GSP is crunching on something though, like exactly that sound when they get something that is nice and hard shelled that they bite through

I'm thinking ghost.

haha ghost of the clownfish that mysteriously died

yes...There will be no rest until you find it's killer.

better get my clue kit out

Is there a piece of LR that is shifting such a little amount that you don't see it but do hear it?

thats kind of what i was thinking. my blue velvet damsel has been clearing out an area under my rock. i will have to do some "remodeling" so i can even out the sand again and restack my rock then see if i still hear the noise