Lots of fun and exciting imports
Hey folks,
Hope everyone is having as great of a start to the new year as we are. Has been super busy so far this week and that's never a bad thing. Keeping fingers crossed that this is an indication of how the rest of the year will go. And with that being said we definitely have the inventory to help everyone continue that trend this week. Tons of fun stuff from Colombia, the far East and of course good ole homegrown Florida raised fish.
We'll start with the most exciting shipment we got in and once again that award goes to Colombia. So much to choose from not even sure where to begin but let's go with the opening slide, XL Spotted Royal Plecos. These are almost always huge and impressive. These monsters make for an excellent display piece. I can almost guarantee we'll have one or two in our booth at Global in March. In addition to those magnificent beasts we got in some other fantastic Plecos including XL Green Phantoms. The bigger they are the faster they sell and these are big. Related to but on the smaller side are the Blue Phantom Plecos. For whatever reason these tend to have far less availability than their green cousins this creating just as high if not higher of a demand. I expect these will be gone within a couple of days.
In addition to Plecos we got in some much needed Cories as well. My favorite has to be the Loxozonus. These look like a Metae and a Punctatus had a baby. And speaking of which we also got in some gigantic Punctatus in this week's shipment. But the one I'm betting will sell out first are the Habrosus Cories. These a a Pygmy cousin that actually know they are a Cory by hanging out on the bottom like a good little scavenger should. And while we're on the subject of scavengers we got everyone's favorite ugly duckling, Banjo Cats. I swear I don't think I've ever seen one actually move but fortunately even though they are sedentary they tend to hang out in the open.
As always we got in a slew of items from overseas. We'll start with the Archers. Obviously not a new item but certainly noteworthy. This is another fantastic display specimen that will get your customers talking about. And if you do anything with social media post a video of these guys spitting at a cricket to knock it into the water to make a quick meal out of it. It'll get a ton of views and shares overnight. Great for cheap advertising. And speaking of social media, if you're looking for ideas about what to post then consider doing a series on nano fish. Still one of the hottest things going and we have the perfect item to feature, Scarlet Badis, the hottest selling nano fish in the hobby right now.
I usually reserve my Cichlid speeches for the Florida raised stuff but this week we got in some absolute gems from Indo. First and foremost are the Fire Gold Apistos. If you're not stocking these when they're available you're missing out. Out of all of the aquarium strains this is arguably the nicest. Not only because of its bright bold color but due to the fact that both the males and females are extremely attractive so you don't have to sell them in pairs or worry about getting stuck with some gray leftovers. On the opposite end of the size spectrum we got in two super popular Frontosas variants. We'll start with the Black Widows. I'm usually more of a locality specific color morph fan but these are super impressive no matter what your preference is. Even at an inch these guys have very intricate black markings that stand out from across the room. The other strain of Frontosas we got in are the Reds. Now while these aren't as ornate as the Black Widows they are still gry nice in their own right and best of they are extremely affordable. Perfect for the budget minded.
But those aren't the only worthwhile Cichlids to come in from the far East this week. Both the German Gold and Assorted Balloon Rams are real standouts nthis week both in color and size. Also got in a fresh batch of Chili Oscars. These never seem to fade and sell out immediately every time we get them in. And no far East shipment b would be complete without some freshly juiced assorted Peacocks. Another great item that's priced to move quickly.
And as usual I'll wrap things up with some Florida raised highlights. Surprisingly I my first mention isn't a Cichlid but rather a Bushynose. We got in large Longfin Bushynose for the first time in ages and they are awesome. Huge flowing fins really set these guys apart. These are gonna be gone in an instant. And speaking of Bushynose we also got in some 2" Lemon Blue Eye. These have amazing color to them as you'll see from the pic down below. And as I'm writing this I just got word that 1" Syn. Multipunctatus are back in. Size is fantastic on these as most are over an inch and their markings are excellent. I'll add a pic down below.
But of course as I mentioned earlier can't talk about Florida raised goodies without diving into some Cichlids. One of the most exciting are actually one of the most common, medium Green Terrors. Not like these need much hype but I will say this is definitely one that benefits from bit of size. These are running between 2-2.5" and that makes all the difference in the world as far as color is concerned. We also got in some select sized Salvinis. This is arguably the best size for these in that they're not big enough to start beating on each other but certainly big enough to be showing great color. Amongst the other Central/Southies we got in handful of 4" Chocolate Cichlids. These are at the size where they are really starting to look like something. And last but not least we are expecting some large Electric Blue Acaras in over the weekend so get with your rep if you wanna snag a couple.
Reach out to your rep if you have any questions.
The Sales Team
5D Tropical, Inc
800-777-5353
Ext 221 for Brody (BrodyM@5DTropical.com)
Ext 295 for Dave (DaveD@5DTropical.com)' |
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| GloFish® Moonrise Pink® Cories are the hot seller going into the winter months and are currently not available in big box stores. |
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| XL Green Phantoms almost never disappoint. Fins may be a bit tattered but the heal up very quickly. Super impressive and an easy sell this time of year. |
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| Huge punctatus |
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| If you're looking for something a smaller than XL we did get in a fair number of regular Royal Plecos. This is probably the top seller of the "fancy" types when they're available. |
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| Blue Phantoms are also back this week but at a much smaller size than the Greens. Regardless these always sell out almost immediately and I expect that'll be the case with this batch especially given the time of year. |
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| Atabapo aka Butterfly Plecos have a very distinct black and cream pattern that set them apart from most other species. These are near adult size which averages 4-6" making them one of the more practical species in the hobby. |
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| Mention these every time we get them but lately the availability on Colombian Zebra Plecos has been fairly limited. Given that this is the busy season I strongly recommend everyone stock up as best they can. |
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| Loxozonus Cories have one of the most distinct dot dash patterns of any species in the genus. These are always sought after by collectors. No matter how many we order it never seems to be enough. |
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| Diptail Pencils are back and just like the last batch are sure to fly out of here. As the name suggests these guys swim at a 45 degree angle making for a very unusual looking school |
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| Red Phantoms got a restock this week. These are a borderline nano species in that they stay smaller than most other Hyphessobrycon species topping out around 1.25". These tend to come in a bit faded initially but color up quickly especially when offered a diet rich in beta carotene. |
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| Gold Tetras are back for the first time in several months or perhaps longer. Been so long I can't remember the last time we had them available. That being said these little beauties probably won't make it past the weekend as they are sure to sell out in a hurry. |
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| New batch of Red Hooks came in this week and while they do tend to get on the biiger side as adults they are still pretty manageable in large home aquariums thus making them perfect for anyone one looking to add to an etsablished set up containing other large Southies including more aggressive Cichlids |
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| Flagtail Prochs got a restock this week and these are perfect to pair with the Red Hooks I mentioned earlier. |
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| Green Neons are back. For those of you who haven't heard the speech before these sell incredibly well on name alone. No need for much hype beyond that. |
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| Whiptails are back and once again they came in at a great size. Patterns are excellent on all of these and while most of them don't currently have their "whips" those will grow in very quickly. |
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| Habrosus Cories are back for the first time in months. These are similar to Pygmy Cories in every way except behavior. Unlike they're Tetra like schooling cousins these actually behave like a Cory sticking close to the bottom always in search for food. |
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| Evreyone's favorite ugly fish, the Banjo Cat, also make a triumphant return this week. I mean seriously, is there a fish out there with an even uglier mug than this? I dare say no lol. |
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| Big BB cat |
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| No Colombia order would be complete without some Peacock Bass. These tank busters fly out of here even during the dreadful summer months so just imagine how quick these will go now during primetime. |
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| Red Pikes are back after a lengthy absence. These are a bit smaller than the last couple of batches but that should land them at a fairly reasonable price. Showing good color in the fins and the rest should catch rather quickly. |
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| New batch of Archers average around 2"in length. This is the ideal size as they will acclimate readily. Offer live or frozen fair to jump start their appetites. These make for |
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| World's best selling nano fish, Scarlet Badis, are back in stock. And that's not an exaggeration. These are one of if not the most popular nano species. Considering how popular that niche of the hobby is everyone should be ordering these. |
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| Blue Kerri Tetras are arguably one of the nicest non mainstream species on the market. Not a whole lotta purple and black freshwater fish out there. |
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| The latest batch of far east raised Blue Tetras might be the nicest captive strain I've ever seen. Pic does not do them justice. Really deep rich Royal blue body transitioning into navy at the base of the tail with white tips. |
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| Apistogramma Agassizii "Fire Gold" are back from Indo. This is one of my all time favorite color variants of this species. Bright orange/gold bodies with the males sporting a purple stripe down the dorsal. |
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| New Balloon Rams are very colorful and very balloony this week. I know that isn't a word but if anyone has a better adjective I'm all ears. |
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| German Gold Rams are about as nice as they get. Some larger males in the group already displaying a bright orange crown over the head. |
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| Chili Oscars came in too late last week in order for me to feature them in the newsletter so here they are. They're a tad smaller than the last batch but considerably brighter. I've said this a thousand times but these are THE nicest aquariums strain of Oscar there is. |
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| New 2" Assorted Peacock are super juiced and therefore super bright. Perfect for anyone on a budget looking for a splash of color. |
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| Black Widow Frontosas have what has to be the most unique pattern of any variants for the species. Even at a very small size they stand out from all others. An absolute hobbyist fave. |
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| While they may not be quite as impressive as the above mentioned Black Widows the Red Frontosas are one of the best value Fronts. These are nearly the same price as the regulars. An easy sell especially this time of year. |
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| Glass Cats got a restock this week. That's more of a heads up that we have them than a sales pitch. We have them. You need them. It's a win win🤣 |
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| New Hujeta Rocket Gar are little and adorable but these will practically double in size within a week. Keep a school of feeders on these at this size as they have voracious appetites. |
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| Spotted Albino Hoplo Cats grow up not only to be the coolest looking of all albino scavengers but also one of the most docile. Even as adults these can be kept with small community fish as they are basically giant Cories. |
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| Delhezi Bichir are the best value Polypterus species on the market. Fantastic, intricate banded pattern has made these one of the best selling "dinosaur eels" for the past two decades. |
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| 3-4" Redtail Cats came in late last week but didn't have time to get them into the email. This is the ideal size for these soon to be giants in that they are big enough to not require a school of live feeders on them at all times. |
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| Regular Rosy Barbs are finally starting to come in with some frequency. A little female heavy but with males showing pretty good color. |
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| After running about the same size as the Zebras the Giant Danios are back up to their namesake this week. |
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| This is probably the smallest individual in this week's batch of medium Bosemani Rainbows. They're running oversized, male heavy and gorgeous. An absolute no-brainer this week |
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| 2" Lemon Blue Eye Bushynose are available I'm limited numbers this week. Color is already about as rich as it gets on these guys along with their stunning blue eyes. This is probably the most impressive color variant on this species. These are gonna go fast. |
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| In addition to the Lemon Blue Eyes we also got in a very limited number of large (approx. 3.5") Longfin Bushynose. We usually only get these at the regular size and those sell really fast so I ca |
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| Even though we are in winter mode down here the Neon Dwarf Rainbows are considerably larger than they have been the last few weeks. Stock up now before the size goes back down. |
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| Managuense aka Jaguar Cichlids got a restock this week and this batch is slightly larger than the last couple have been. One of the better looking tank busters even at such a small size. |
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| Medium Green Terrors are finally and they look fantastic! Color is outstanding on these with a good number of them displaying gold trim around the fins. Definitely my favorite of the common Central/Southies. |
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| Goes without saying but I'll say it anyway, Medium Red Spot Gold Severums are just about one of the best looking fish here week in and week out. |
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| Select Salvini are running particularly nice this week. Well oversized with excellent color. One of the best value Central/Southies this week. |
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| Regular Jacks are back. |
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| Got a handful of 4" Chocolates and maybe two or three 5" still available. This is the age where they actually start to look like something other than a small brown fish. As these mature I can see why Brody has such a strange obsession with them🤣 |
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| I don't typically feature too many juvenile Peacocks here cuz let's face it, they're usually silver and boring. But that's not the case with the Yellow Albino Swallowtails. This is a pretty representative individual of the group. Bright gold and you can already see a hint of blue in the face. These are going to be amazing as adults. |
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| There are a lot of variances withe the Albino German Red Peacocks. They range from gold to a snow white background with intermittent splashed of orange and red in the mix. Regardless of the color palette these are one of the most stunnin |
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| Medium Fancy Mbuna are more than worth the extra money over the standards. Some really unique and unusual finds within the mix including this Re Top Fulleborni and OB Demasoni. |
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| So not exactly a Cichlid but is id Old World, Synodontis Multipunctatus are one of the most attractive species in the genus. These are Florida raised and as you can see are the real deal. Fantastic markings on these. |
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| Vampire Crab |
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| Bloody Mary Shrimp |
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| Rili Shrimp |
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