What Makes the Sound of Grinding Rocks?

[Hugh Mann]

Posting for a friend, as he isn't a fan of forums.

The story goes over the last couple weeks he's been hearing the sound of what he describes as rocks being ground together, during the day and night at random times. And quite loud, being able to hear it in another room. He's been reefing for about a decade, and his current tank has been running since 2016. Definitely not the clicking, clacking or popping from mantis and pistol shrimp.

Anyone know a hitchhiker that may be the cause of it, or some other thing can can occur in a tank to cause the noise?

 

[Saltyreef]

Pump motor?!

 

[josvanmeer]

Sounds like a bad wave pump

 

[tsouth]

Trochus snails spinning their shells to ward off predators

 

[SteveG_inDC]

Snail shell (snail or hermit) caught in a pump intake?

 

[Saltyreef]

Lighting cooling fans hitting housing?
My hydras are notorious for this.

 

[Hugh Mann]

He insists it is coming from something in the tank. Has checked all the pumps and filters and fans.

I wonder if maybe his rocks aren't as stable as he thinks and get bumped around by something. He just stacks them, doesn't secure them in any way. You'd think he'd have learned after a Coral beauty was killed by a falling rock.

 

[tsouth]

Definitely ask them if they have trochus snails. It literally sounds like rocks grinding, or rocks tapping the glass, it's intermittent based off of when a snail likes to wiggle its shell. Happens throuh random times, and lasts just a few seconds. If it's not something constant, 24/7 then you can start ruling things out.

 

[Lightspeed]

if he can hear it in another room i will go with a circulation pump.

 

[Hugh Mann]

Definitely ask them if they have trochus snails. It literally sounds like rocks grinding, or rocks tapping the glass, it's intermittent based off of when a snail likes to wiggle its shell. Happens throuh random times, and lasts just a few seconds. If it's not something constant, 24/7 then you can start ruling things out.

Entirely possible. He definitely has trochus. They reproduce so much he has to get rid of the babies every so often.

 

[ArchXIII]

Trochus snails spinning their shells to ward off predators

This. I have the same thing going on, it's my trochus snails.