Non-online stores for mantis shrimps

[kalim]

HNK and i were posting over in saltwaterfish.com, and this might be useful as well to other people here...

we were discussing how to find a mantis, and i mentioned that what i usually did to find mantis shrimps is get a list of all the nearby shops, then start dialing...sometimes, you can leave your name and number and they MIGHT give you a call back (oh, and be prepared for the "well, you know that you have to be careful with this critter..." remarks)...

here's a great list of stores by state
http://fins.actwin.com/dir/stores.php?c=1

btw, hnk, this is another store that i have found to consistently carry some mantis (although the last time i checked there were none):

Animals and Things, Route 1&9 North by route 35, Woodbridge, NJ, 07095, phone 732-855-8515.

it once had two small odontodactylus and a gonodactylus smasher, and they sold them relatively cheap - $12 for each peacock and around the same for the other smasher....be wary of places that sell peacocks for more than $50....these guys are prone to disease in aquaria, and can die quickly (and there goes your money)....the Gonodactylus smashers seem to be much more resistant, albeit less colorful...

 

[hnf2k]

i believe you are talking about me, in which case i am hnf(my initials). i am going to try that store you have listed on your webpage petswarehouse. it's only about 20 minutes away from me. on their site they list mantis shrimps(Odontodactylus scyllarus) for 5 bucks. i believe that type is the peacock mantis. so i think im going to try that store. i called them and they said their website is cheaper than their store. but anyway i look at it, with the cost of shipping it will probably save me money to travel the few miles.

 

[kalim]

store

store

yep, i got my first mantis for $5, a really small one (not peacock), probably from that store. it was not colorful at all, but was very interesting to watch..

the cheapest peacock i got was a small one for $12 from that route 1 store i posted above. most other peacocks go from $30-$65 that i've seen.

 

[hnf2k]

but the Odontodactylus scyllarus is a peacock?

 

[kalim]

peacock

peacock

yes, Odontodactylus scyllarus is the so-called "Peacock mantis shrimp"...however, i've encountered many time where an LFS named any medium sized to large coloful mantis shrimp as Odontodactylus scyllarus.

Because of our discussion, i was moved to revisit a store that usually has mantis shrimps:

Hanover Pet & Aquarium, 200 R.T 10 West (inside RX place shopping center), East Hanover, NJ, phone 201-386-0885.

when i got there, i saw an empty tank labeled "Mantis shrimp - $59".....i asked about it and indeed someone had just bought the thing.

this store is pretty guilty actually of labeling any medium sized colorful mantis as Odontodactylus....but i got a gorgeous Gonodactylaceus ternatensis from these guys (and it was, of course, labeled as Odontodactylus)....

 

[hnf2k]

well jersey is a bit of a drive for me, and i also dont know how to get there. im in roslyn, ny. in long island.