Mantis shrimp in live rock shipment.

[jason777]

Hi, Guys.

 

I thought I'd share some hitchhikers I pulled out of my live rock shipment.

 

I got three of these little guys.

 

 

And several of these crabs.

 

 

And here's a peak inside a 50 pound box.

 

 

Nice rock, eh?

[Rollermonkey]

I'm guessing that you'll find more as the rock cures.

 

Lots of pretty coralline, though.

[Acielot]

Where did you get your rock from? I am looking for a hitchhiker mantis. XD

[jason777]

Where did you get your rock from? I am looking for a hitchhiker mantis. XD

 

I buy hundreds of pounds at a time from several different wholesalers. This particular batch was from Bali, Indonesia.

[Arkayology]

There are a lot of people on the site that would love to have one of those mantis shrimps I bet.

[jason777]

There are a lot of people on the site that would love to have one of those mantis shrimps I bet.

 

Yes. The sad part of this hobby is freight shipping. The reason I'm into online live rock retail is because shipping a free mantis shrimp to somebody through Fed Ex priority overnight would cost $80.00.

 

In time, they may notice my sales and offer me the 44% discount that all the bigger companies get. Until then, I'm selling rock.

 

$2.00 a kilo in Bali quickly turns into a lot of money by the time it lands at my local airport. CITES permit is another $1.00 a kilo, $150 fuel surcharge, $120 document handling, $10 box charge, $2 a kilo international air freight to US, wholesaler profit, $1.27 per pound air freight to my local airport, and then $20 in gas to drive there and pick it up. But in the end, we still have the best live rock that money can buy.