Mr. Manty
New member
I plan on updating this thread regularly with good and bad experiences I have had with online shippers of mantis shrimp. I had a HORRIFIC experience with YourFishStore.com with them misidentifying the species and not responding and I don't want anyone to have to go through that.
With a scientist such as Roy Caldwell in our midst I hate to rely on anecdotal evidence of such a small sample size but we are dealing with human issues such as trust and so this is what we are left with! Anyone can chime in with their own experiences!
Ibluewater.com and KPaquatics.com have both been very communicative and have sent healthy species and been very honest and cooperative when it comes to refunds etc...
Ibluewater: 7 inch Peacock. Very healthy specimen. Communicated through every step of the way with pictures and video so that i could ensure that he was healthy beforehand. Packaged with a lot of water.
KpAquatics: 2.5 inch Havanensus. Very healthy and active, but it did die unfortunately due to the sensitivity of this species, not their fault at all (or maybe even mine). They gave an immediate refund and I am about to order another one from them even with the expensive shipping because of how communicative and helpful they were.
YourFishStore.com: Peacock Or it was supposed to be a peacock. Probably the most distinctive and famous species of all was misidentified as a... wait for it.. an Haptosquilla stoliura. A tiny species devoid of color.
It took me over a month to get a refund or response from them. I tried their facebook, phone, and the support email listed on their site. I had to finally resort to filing a complaint with the BBB to get a response from them. Finally got a refund. Mantis was packaged well however.
This was particularly frustrating as I was just getting into saltwater for the first time solely to own a peacock. It had been my dream for years beforehand! Fortunately it did allow me to set up an appropriate tank and become much more knowledgeable about their care by the time I actually got a peacock. I most certainly would have killed him if I had gotten one immediately.
With a scientist such as Roy Caldwell in our midst I hate to rely on anecdotal evidence of such a small sample size but we are dealing with human issues such as trust and so this is what we are left with! Anyone can chime in with their own experiences!
THE GOOD
Ibluewater.com and KPaquatics.com have both been very communicative and have sent healthy species and been very honest and cooperative when it comes to refunds etc...
Ibluewater: 7 inch Peacock. Very healthy specimen. Communicated through every step of the way with pictures and video so that i could ensure that he was healthy beforehand. Packaged with a lot of water.
KpAquatics: 2.5 inch Havanensus. Very healthy and active, but it did die unfortunately due to the sensitivity of this species, not their fault at all (or maybe even mine). They gave an immediate refund and I am about to order another one from them even with the expensive shipping because of how communicative and helpful they were.
THE BAD
YourFishStore.com: Peacock Or it was supposed to be a peacock. Probably the most distinctive and famous species of all was misidentified as a... wait for it.. an Haptosquilla stoliura. A tiny species devoid of color.
It took me over a month to get a refund or response from them. I tried their facebook, phone, and the support email listed on their site. I had to finally resort to filing a complaint with the BBB to get a response from them. Finally got a refund. Mantis was packaged well however.
This was particularly frustrating as I was just getting into saltwater for the first time solely to own a peacock. It had been my dream for years beforehand! Fortunately it did allow me to set up an appropriate tank and become much more knowledgeable about their care by the time I actually got a peacock. I most certainly would have killed him if I had gotten one immediately.
