Are there any species of Mantis from Oregon or the surrounding areas?

[Forfekte]

Hey everyone, after waiting for 8 months for my LFS to get a mantis in and no results so far , I've decided to look for other options for acquiring a mantis. I go diving in Oregon pretty often, but have never seen a mantis. After doing some research I have come up blank on any species. I'm curious if any of you know if there are any mantis species in or around Oregon that I could potentially collect.

Thanks

[Forfekte]

Nevermind, Just saw a post from Dr. Caldwell
"Nothing from the Pacific Northwest."

Thanks anyway.

[Kharn]

Have you ever ordered anything off the online stores like BlueZoo or LiveAquaria ?

[Forfekte]

Originally Posted by Kharn

Have you ever ordered anything off the online stores like BlueZoo or LiveAquaria ?

No, I haven't. I've been checking divers den/LA every day and have e-mail alerts set up for Bluezoo. A different online store has a female chiragra in stock I guess so I'm definitely considering purchasing that.

I'd like to get a ciliata, japonicus, smithii, or graphurus, but I think I'm starting to understand you don't really get to pick and choose so I have a few tanks set up for whatever species happens to be available.

Bluezoo has a large O. Scyllarus for $130 bucks though if all else fails I guess, regardless of if its seems pretty pricey.

[Kharn]

Originally Posted by Forfekte

No, I haven't. I've been checking divers den/LA every day and have e-mail alerts set up for Bluezoo. A different online store has a female chiragra in stock I guess so I'm definitely considering purchasing that.

I'd like to get a ciliata, japonicus, smithii, or graphurus, but I think I'm starting to understand you don't really get to pick and choose so I have a few tanks set up for whatever species happens to be available.

Bluezoo has a large O. Scyllarus for $130 bucks though if all else fails I guess, regardless of if its seems pretty pricey.

It would be good if there was maybe something a little more dedicated to the availability of Stomatopods online I think the single major killer overall is freight on both ends (seller & buyer).

As for here downunder, for starters all online overseas stores are out of the question (illegal to import), and secondly there are not exactly "many" collectors of marine animals (the biggest ones export everything) and no collector will put a single thought/effort into "finding" them, it must literally swim/crawl past/into the net :X.

$130 isn't bad for a large O.scyllarus at all...I typically see full grown ones for around $150 I think LiveAquaria has Giant Zebras (at 9.5"+) for $350...but again I suspect freight might be a big part of it due to these animals requiring larger boxes / heavier boxes in delivery then others.

[Kharn]

I think your a little lucky being in Oregon

Looking on the U.S. Map your right beside the coast, I'm not talking about you necessarily going hunting or anything but how far would you be from your nearest international airport ?

[Forfekte]

Originally Posted by Kharn

It would be good if there was maybe something a little more dedicated to the availability of Stomatopods online I think the single major killer overall is freight on both ends (seller & buyer).

As for here downunder, for starters all online overseas stores are out of the question (illegal to import), and secondly there are not exactly "many" collectors of marine animals (the biggest ones export everything) and no collector will put a single thought/effort into "finding" them, it must literally swim/crawl past/into the net :X.

$130 isn't bad for a large O.scyllarus at all...I typically see full grown ones for around $150 I think LiveAquaria has Giant Zebras (at 9.5"+) for $350...but again I suspect freight might be a big part of it due to these animals requiring larger boxes / heavier boxes in delivery then others.

O.Scyllarus from Liveaquaria here is $49.99, they don't list the zebra mantis on there though for me. Have you heard negative things about thatpet/fishplace? They have the chiragra on there and I'm pretty sure I'm going to purchase it, but I haven't done my research on that website in particular.

Originally Posted by Kharn

I think your a little lucky being in Oregon

Looking on the U.S. Map your right beside the coast, I'm not talking about you necessarily going hunting or anything but how far would you be from your nearest international airport ?

Unfortunately I'm actually in Utah... no oceans here
The closest international airport for me is about 20 minutes away and only a few hours to California from there or over to Florida. A plane flight for a mantis ends up being an expensive mantis though! I have family in Oregon and go up there diving on a regular basis so that is where the Oregon part came from. I do have my collecting permits for Oregon though so at least i will have plenty of fresh crab for a smasher!

[Kharn]

Originally Posted by Forfekte

O.Scyllarus from Liveaquaria here is $49.99, they don't list the zebra mantis on there though for me. Have you heard negative things about thatpet/fishplace? They have the chiragra on there and I'm pretty sure I'm going to purchase it, but I haven't done my research on that website in particular.



Unfortunately I'm actually in Utah... no oceans here
The closest international airport for me is about 20 minutes away and only a few hours to California from there or over to Florida. A plane flight for a mantis ends up being an expensive mantis though! I have family in Oregon and go up there diving on a regular basis so that is where the Oregon part came from. I do have my collecting permits for Oregon though so at least i will have plenty of fresh crab for a smasher!

Well you have given me something to ponder being so close to the airport might open you to a whole new availability...

I just hope our community (Mantis Shrimp) can support such an 'opportunity' and 'choice'...

It ALL relies on freight (costs & timing & demand), if all goes well I don't see why you cannot have your Japonicus or species as of yet you might not know about but very much want upon acknowledgement of availability....

[Calappidae]

Where would one find a japonicus for sale anyway? I know QM has them listed but it's also only 1 of three stomatopods listed, so possible chiragra mis-id.

They seem very rare :I figures cause I want one xD

O.Scyllarus from Liveaquaria here is $49.99, they don't list the zebra mantis on there though for me. Have you heard negative things about thatpet/fishplace? They have the chiragra on there and I'm pretty sure I'm going to purchase it, but I haven't done my research on that website in particular.

Liveaquaria thinks chiragras are peacocks. 99% of the reports posted here on RC ended up recieve G. ternatensis instead (which should never be collected..)

Thepetplace gave me a little trouble.. Calappa Calappa arrived dead, and after two weeks of waiting for them to ship my hymenoceras (said instock on the page) they finally tell me "We're sold out.." oh and they guarentee almost nothing.

Petmountain sent me my hymenoceras and bluezoo is probably the most careful and have the best guarentee. I just ordered one thing from petmountian so I can't say much about them.

[Kharn]

I wonder if people would pay a little more (likely from freight) for a guarantee on species & something that is more specific to 'them' (stomatopods) and other stomatopod related products.

[Fartin'Gary]

Originally Posted by Forfekte

O.Scyllarus from Liveaquaria here is $49.99, they don't list the zebra mantis on there though for me. Have you heard negative things about thatpet/fishplace? They have the chiragra on there and I'm pretty sure I'm going to purchase it, but I haven't done my research on that website in particular.



Unfortunately I'm actually in Utah... no oceans here
The closest international airport for me is about 20 minutes away and only a few hours to California from there or over to Florida. A plane flight for a mantis ends up being an expensive mantis though! I have family in Oregon and go up there diving on a regular basis so that is where the Oregon part came from. I do have my collecting permits for Oregon though so at least i will have plenty of fresh crab for a smasher!

How close to Las Vegas are you? These guys got me a very nice peacock from singapore for 50 bucks. It was about 4.5-5". If you could drive there with a 5 gallon bucket, a battery powered air bubbler, and a heater plugged into an inverter to the cig lighter, you could transport it back to you home no problem. I drove across the country transporting one like that from Las Vegas to Maryland. That was a very depressing move, never move to Maryland.
They could acclimate it at the store and you could pick it up, leave it in the 5 gallon overnight, and the next day drip acclimate it slowly to your tank so it will have a little time to relax. Sounds like a bunch of trouble but it would work.
http://www.aquaticempires.com/

[Forfekte]

Originally Posted by Kharn

I wonder if people would pay a little more (likely from freight) for a guarantee on species & something that is more specific to 'them' (stomatopods) and other stomatopod related products.

I would be interested in knowing something like this as well. I'm curious if someone could make a living selling properly ID'd stomatopods of many different species.

Originally Posted by Fartin'Gary

How close to Las Vegas are you? These guys got me a very nice peacock from singapore for 50 bucks. It was about 4.5-5". If you could drive there with a 5 gallon bucket, a battery powered air bubbler, and a heater plugged into an inverter to the cig lighter, you could transport it back to you home no problem. I drove across the country transporting one like that from Las Vegas to Maryland. That was a very depressing move, never move to Maryland.
They could acclimate it at the store and you could pick it up, leave it in the 5 gallon overnight, and the next day drip acclimate it slowly to your tank so it will have a little time to relax. Sounds like a bunch of trouble but it would work.
http://www.aquaticempires.com/

I'm about 5 hours drive away from las vegas, it very well could be an option to do that, thank you.

[Forfekte]

Alright well I went ahead and ordered the Chiragra from Thepetplace, it gets here tomorrow so I will update with pictures and other information when it gets here.

Disclaimer: I know the following is most likely a silly question since all mantis behave differently but I would really like to know some other opinions on the matter.

I have a well established holothuria hilla in the tank that I would put the chiragra in(115L) and he has a little den (the den is no more than 38mm tall) in between two rocks that he generally stays in (he can retreat fully into the den) and then he extends out and feeds from the sand at night usually, however every so often he comes out during the day to feed as well.

This will probably cause problems and end up with the cucumber dead and him releasing toxins into the tank correct? I feel I should probably move it out of the tank just in case.

[Calappidae]

Originally Posted by Forfekte

This will probably cause problems and end up with the cucumber dead and him releasing toxins into the tank correct? I feel I should probably move it out of the tank just in case.

That would definitly be a good idea to remove..

[Gonodactylus]

The question whether you could make a living selling stomatopods on line has already been answered. It was tried about 10 years ago. Stomatopod.com was a reliable source of a diversity of species all properly identified. Many of the species that I list on "Roy's List" only came from them. The operation lasted a couple of years, but couldn't make a go of it. Too bad! It was a highly professional business.

Roy

[Forfekte]

Originally Posted by Gonodactylus

The question whether you could make a living selling stomatopods on line has already been answered. It was tried about 10 years ago. Stomatopod.com was a reliable source of a diversity of species all properly identified. Many of the species that I list on "Roy's List" only came from them. The operation lasted a couple of years, but couldn't make a go of it. Too bad! It was a highly professional business.

Roy

Dr. Caldwell, do you think it would be any different now as compared to before? I would imagine there are probably more people interested in mantis shrimp at this time.

[Gonodactylus]

I wouldn't try it. There is also more competition from the large online operations.

Roy

[Forfekte]

Originally Posted by Gonodactylus

I wouldn't try it. There is also more competition from the large online operations.

Roy

Thank you for your insight Dr. Caldwell!

Well the chiragra is here, quite a beautiful creature! Shes about 76mm (3 inches). The shipping seemed to go well for her, they had a pvc pipe in there that she could hide in and feel a little more comfortable with, although when i transferred her to her drip acclimation tank she wasn't too happy and went on a bit of a smashing spree against the wall.

Sorry for the very poor image quality, my phone camera isn't the greatest for pictures in water.

So far it swam around the tank for a while then it just sat there and stared at me very curiously watching my every move. I dropped a fiddler crab in and it darted over and smashed it! I can't get the smile off of my face haha! Here is to hoping I got a non reclusive one!

[Kharn]

Im interested in giving it a go but I don't think or expect to survive off just live stock...having said that there is a plethora of other stomatopod related non live stock areas to be targeted as well.

[Calappidae]

Originally Posted by Kharn

Im interested in giving it a go but I don't think or expect to survive off just live stock...having said that there is a plethora of other stomatopod related non live stock areas to be targeted as well.

Wouldn't australia's restrictions prohibit this though?

[Kharn]

Originally Posted by Calappidae

Wouldn't australia's restrictions prohibit this though?

Im leaving aus because the trade here is so dirty and I aim to supply all other nations particularly U.S. 51% of all my videos views come from america second inline and at only 9% japan.

Ill break my back to see you guys get things u only dreamed of!

[Forfekte]

Originally Posted by Kharn

Im leaving aus because the trade here is so dirty and I aim to supply all other nations particularly U.S. 51% of all my videos views come from america second inline and at only 9% japan.

Ill break my back to see you guys get things u only dreamed of!

If you need someone to design and manage the website as well as a dive buddy I'll be the first in line!


The female chiragra ate twice yesterday, two fiddler crabs. She must have insane accuracy because she killed both in just one hit. I think I might have gotten lucky and gotten a pretty active one because i walk around the tank while shes out, at first she darted away under some rocks but now she just watches me and continues with her business. I couldn't be happier so far with this amazing little creature.