--- type: category category: "Invertebrate" stores: 567 states: 41 url: https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates --- # Best Invertebrate Fish Stores by State 567 stores specializing in shrimp, snails, crabs, and other invertebrates across 41 states Invertebrate keeping has exploded in the last decade, and the hobby barely resembles what it was in 2010. Freshwater shrimp (Neocaridina davidi, Caridina cantonensis, Sulawesi cardinals) have their own dedicated breeders, grading systems, and online auctions. On the saltwater side, cleanup crews of hermit crabs, turbo snails, and peppermint shrimp are as essential to a reef tank as the corals themselves. A store that takes invertebrates seriously stocks far more than a scoop of ghost shrimp in a feeder tank. ## States | State | Stores | | --- | --- | | [Florida](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/florida) | 64 | | [California](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/california) | 48 | | [Texas](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/texas) | 48 | | [New York](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/new-york) | 24 | | [Illinois](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/illinois) | 23 | | [Michigan](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/michigan) | 23 | | [Colorado](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/colorado) | 21 | | [Ohio](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/ohio) | 21 | | [New Jersey](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/new-jersey) | 18 | | [Pennsylvania](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/pennsylvania) | 18 | | [North Carolina](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/north-carolina) | 17 | | [Virginia](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/virginia) | 17 | | [Washington](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/washington) | 15 | | [Indiana](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/indiana) | 13 | | [Missouri](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/missouri) | 13 | | [Tennessee](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/tennessee) | 13 | | [Oregon](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/oregon) | 12 | | [Wisconsin](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/wisconsin) | 12 | | [Georgia](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/georgia) | 11 | | [Maryland](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/maryland) | 11 | | [Minnesota](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/minnesota) | 11 | | [Massachusetts](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/massachusetts) | 10 | | [Arizona](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/arizona) | 9 | | [Utah](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/utah) | 9 | | [Connecticut](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/connecticut) | 8 | | [Iowa](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/iowa) | 8 | | [South Carolina](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/south-carolina) | 8 | | [Idaho](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/idaho) | 7 | | [Kentucky](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/kentucky) | 6 | | [Louisiana](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/louisiana) | 6 | | [New Hampshire](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/new-hampshire) | 6 | | [Arkansas](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/arkansas) | 5 | | [Oklahoma](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/oklahoma) | 5 | | [Kansas](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/kansas) | 4 | | [Montana](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/montana) | 4 | | [Nevada](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/nevada) | 4 | | [Alabama](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/alabama) | 3 | | [Delaware](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/delaware) | 3 | | [North Dakota](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/north-dakota) | 3 | | [Nebraska](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/nebraska) | 3 | | [New Mexico](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates/new-mexico) | 3 | ## Neocaridina versus Caridina: why your shrimp store’s water parameters matter Neocaridina cherry shrimp are hardy and forgiving. They tolerate a wide pH range, breed readily in tap water, and cost a few dollars each. Caridina species like crystal reds, Taiwan bees, and pintos are a different animal entirely. They require soft, acidic water with a TDS between 100 and 150, buffering substrate like ADA Amazonia or Brightwell, and RO water remineralized with Salty Shrimp GH+. A store that understands this distinction will keep Neocaridina and Caridina in separate systems with different water parameters. If you see crystal red shrimp sitting in the same water as cherry shrimp, walk away. That store is not doing the homework. Grading also matters. An S-grade crystal red has solid white with deep red banding. An SSS-grade is nearly all white with clean color breaks. The price difference between grades is significant, and a good store labels them accurately instead of lumping everything into one tank marked 'assorted fancy shrimp.' Ask about their breeding lines. Serious shrimp stores cull aggressively to maintain color quality and will tell you exactly what genetic line you are buying. ## Saltwater cleanup crews and marine inverts Every reef tank needs a cleanup crew, but the composition matters. Astrea snails handle diatoms and film algae on glass. Cerith snails burrow into sand beds and eat detritus. Nassarius snails are sand-sifters that aerate substrate. Trochus snails right themselves when knocked over, unlike Astrea, which die on their backs. A store that knows this will help you build a crew matched to your specific tank instead of pushing a '50-piece cleanup crew package' with random species. Beyond the basics, marine invertebrates include animals that demand real expertise: cleaner shrimp like Lysmata amboinensis, fire shrimp, harlequin shrimp that eat only starfish, and tuxedo urchins that mow coralline algae. Peppermint shrimp are sold as Aiptasia predators, but only Lysmata wurdemanni actually eats them. Many stores sell misidentified species that ignore Aiptasia entirely. A knowledgeable invertebrate store can tell the difference and stocks the right species. ## Equipment and water parameters for invert tanks Invertebrates are more sensitive to water chemistry than most fish. Copper is lethal to shrimp and snails at concentrations fish tolerate easily, and a single dose of copper-based ich medication in a shared system will kill every invertebrate in the tank. A good invert store runs copper-free systems and tests for it. For freshwater shrimp keepers, the essentials are an RO/DI unit, a TDS meter, and buffering substrate. Sponge filters are preferred over hang-on-backs because baby shrimp get sucked into power filter intakes. Indian almond leaves and cholla wood provide biofilm that shrimplets graze on. On the saltwater side, calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium stability matters more than hitting a specific number. Invertebrates like urchins and shrimp molt regularly and need consistent mineral availability. Drip acclimation is mandatory for marine inverts. The float-and-dump method that works for hardy fish will kill sensitive shrimp and snails. A store that sells you marine inverts and tells you to float the bag for 15 minutes is giving you bad advice that will cost you dead livestock. ## FAQ **Q: Why do my cherry shrimp keep dying in the first week?** A: The most common cause is acclimation failure. Shrimp are far more sensitive to parameter swings than fish, and even a small shift in pH or TDS during transfer can trigger fatal osmotic shock. Always drip acclimate shrimp over 60 to 90 minutes. The second most common cause is copper contamination. If you have ever dosed copper-based medication in your tank, residual copper can persist in substrate and silicone for months. Test for copper with a quality kit like Hanna or Seachem. Third, check your GH. Neocaridina need a GH of 6 to 8 dGH for successful molting. Below 4, they cannot form new shells and die mid-molt. **Q: How many snails and hermit crabs do I actually need for a reef tank?** A: The old rule of one snail or hermit per gallon is wildly excessive. Overstocking cleanup crews leads to starvation once they eat the available algae, and then they start dying and polluting the tank. A better ratio is one snail per 2 to 3 gallons and one hermit crab per 5 gallons. Mix species for coverage: Trochus or Astrea for glass and rocks, Cerith and Nassarius for sand, and a few blue-leg hermits for leftover food. Add them slowly after your tank has cycled and developed some algae growth. Dropping 40 snails into a brand new tank with no food source is a recipe for mass die-off. **Q: Can I keep Caridina and Neocaridina shrimp together?** A: Technically yes, but practically no. They require different water parameters. Neocaridina thrive in harder, alkaline water (GH 6-8, pH 7.0-7.5) while most Caridina need soft, acidic water (GH 4-5, pH 5.5-6.5) with buffering substrate. Keeping them in the same tank means one species is always in suboptimal conditions, leading to poor color, failed molts, and reduced breeding. They will not crossbreed with each other, so there is no hybrid concern. It is purely a water chemistry incompatibility. Pick one genus per tank and optimize the parameters for that species. --- *Source: [FishStores.org](https://www.fishstores.org/best/invertebrates)*