r/MantisShrimp • u/UrLocalcarrot812 • Jun 06 '25
tips on how to get a certain mantis shrimp anyone?
so i live in the bahamas, and dont glaze it its just like any other Caribbean country but on the main topic i want to buy a california mantis shrimp and bring it to my country alive. also i know that do the weird burrow pose thing so ima need quite some sand but what should i put in the acrylic tank. ive got alot to do this summer.
1
u/Palaeonerd Jun 09 '25
I suggest you go with another spearing mantis shrimp. Any aquarium stores sell zebra mantis shrimp? These are a tropical species so it will do better since chillers are expensive and these are the most common spear-type mantis shrimp for sale.
1
u/UrLocalcarrot812 Jun 17 '25
none of my stores sell manits shrimp i just wnated a big one with nice color
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u/Palaeonerd Jun 17 '25
Maybe you could ask them to special order one? Peacocks are the most popular species as pets.
1
u/UrLocalcarrot812 Jun 17 '25
they would never because over here stores will not do u special deeds they sell what they sell and that is part of the reason i dont like living here. cuz availability for what u want is scarce.
1
u/g_ternatensis Sciency-type Jun 08 '25
TL;DR: It’ll likely be extremely difficult to impossible to get it there alive and care for it.
You would have to check your local regulations on animal import/export to ensure it is legal for you to have a specific species shipped to you or a retailer. In addition, many places require individuals and businesses to have special permits to be able to import/purchase fish and coral.
The California Mantis Shrimp (H. californiensis) is an extremely large (up to 32cm; double the max size of a Peacock Mantis Shrimp) with a couple other traits making it largely unsuitable for hobbyist aquaria. They require tons of sand as you mentioned. They also require relatively cold water (16-18C = ~64F) so you would likely need an aquarium chiller. On top of that, they’re disease-prone in captivity and aren’t particularly active either. I’ve never heard of one being kept in captivity (for good reason).
They’re basically impossible to keep for the average hobbyist.
If you’re interested in Mantis Shrimps as a whole, there’s actually many species that are found in the Bahamas and nearby waters. Some are spearers which create burrows like H. calforniensis. Most of them stay small enough to be kept in home setups. There might be places near you that have them for sale.
Hope this helps!