Newsletter 04-17-25

Thursday, April 17, 2025

Big Florida fish too!

4" Import Peacock

Hey folks,
well it looks like we've dodged a bullet on the tariffs for the time being. Not sure what the future holds but at least for now it should be business as usual. So fortunately all we have to talk about this week are the fish. Lots of restocks across the board. Got replenished on Guppies from Sri Lanka. Got in a pretty nice Indo shipment with a couple of gems tucked in there. Some great shrimp came in from Singapore. And last but not least got in some much needed Colombia staples.

So let's start there. Didn't have chance to mention them last week but we did get in really nice sized Albino Pacu. Now everyone that reads this email with any frequency knows my feelings on this fish so I'll just skip over that this time. However this is a great looking batch with fat bellies and really nice color. Medium Arowanas are a bit bigger than the last couple batches and are eating like pigs. Very important to keep these guys well fed at this age. Green Neons are back. I will never understand the popularity of this fish as they are half the size of Florida raised Neons and not as bright but no matter my feelings on them since they always sell out in a hurry so order early. And truth be told I always had these in my stores when I was in retail and people always went nuts for them. And speaking of Tetras we also got in a fresh batch of Red Phantoms. Although it's pushing it to call it a nano fish as it's right on the cusp size wise, these do thrive in small aquariums. Also got restocks on much needed Clown, Rubber, Zebra and Snowball Plecos.

As I mentioned we got in some great shrimp from the far east. We keep increasing the quantities we bring in and it never seems to be enough. Just about everything came in looks fantastic but the Yellow Fires and Red Cherries really steal the show. You'll see what I'm talking about in the pics below. Also in from Asia are the neatest looking Figure 8 Puffers I think I've ever seen. Small as can be but will sell based on cuteness alone. On the opposite end of the spectrum are the 6-7" Fire Eels. These look to be a bit oversize with great color and pattern. Also got restocked on far east raised Uaru which we haven't had in a bit. Last batch came in mediums but these are definitely going to be listed as small which will also help lower the price point. Platinum Green Tiger Barbs also got refilled tis week. Definitely my favorite of the aquarium strains. Much more of a standout than the regular Greens.

And last but not least we of course have to mentioned some Florida raised favorites. As the water temps warm up we're starting to see size increases on a number of fish. Most Angel types are running above list size, especially the medium Blacks. One of the best values out there right now. Rainbows are starting to get back up to size and oddly enough especially on the dwarf species. Signifers are amazing this week as you'll see from the pic below. And of course we can't have an email without discussing Florida raised Cichlids. It any come as no surprise to anyone who reads this frequently that this my area of preference. A lot of that comes from many years in retail and seeing just how popular and profitable these can be. My recommendation is to always stock the bigger sizes. Most box stores only stock small/regular size so give yourself an advantage and offer something that's a bit showier. There's a ton to choose from down below so please check that out. None of these will disappoint.

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)

Colombia

Albino Pacu came in last week but didn't have a chance to get a pic in time. Very good size on these. Nobody ever wants to bring these in too big as they're going to get too big soon enough but big enough to be showing good color.

Green Neon are back. Just came in last night and so far seem to be holding up pretty well. Just remember these come in a lot smaller than the regular Florida raised Neons. But regardless these always sell well on name alone.

Red Phantoms are also in from Colombia. Always come in small and pale but color up quickly once they've had a chance to settle in and get fed some high quality food rich in beta carotene.

Cories have been in short supply lately so it was a relief to see Punctatus come back in. This tends to be one of the sturdiest Cories we bring in.

Clown Plecos got a restock but act fast. These sell out in a hurry every week and availability looks like it's going to be limited for the next several weeks.

New Farlowellas came in a bit varied in size but that never seems to matter. This "Stickfish" has always been popular not to mention they're great algae eaters. Work really well in planted aquariums.

Rubber Plecos also got filled in this week. Once a gain a much better algae eater than the commons and a much more reasonable size for the average aquarium.

Striped Raphael Cats are back. For a fish that never seems to move and is seldom seen in the average home aquarium (since they're always hiding) these continue to be one of the most popular catfish in the hobby.

Spotted Raphael. Same as above.

New Brown Ghost Knives look fantastic. Great size and super healthy. And unlike their Black Ghost counter parts these can be kept together in a large enough space.

Asia Imports

Galaxy Rasboras got a restock last night. Running decent size (relatively speaking), big enough to see their color and pattern which isn't always the case with these.

Rainbow Dace are back for the season. Please note that this is a pic from last season. The ones that just arrived do NOT have color yet but they are the same size so they should color up shortly.

This is what keep coming in as Chili Rasboras which are more often referred to as Exclamation Point Rasboras. Briggitae is the species that most people refer to as Chii Rasboras but there are several species within the same genus and most far east suppliers don't recognize the difference so this is what we typically receive. Like to mention this so expectations of what you will receive are tempered.

Redline Rasboras are back for the first time in ages. They're very transparent at the moment will color up as soon as they settle in. Google a pic of these and you'll see what they turn into in a very short time.

Far East raised Uaru are back in stock. Running about an inch and a half but came in very solid with zero losses on them. Small enough where they're still sporting their juvenile spotting which will fade shortly as they mature.

6-7"Fire Eels came in on point if not slightly over size. Already showing great color.

Quite possibly the world's smallest Figure 8 Puffers therefore making them quite possibly the world's cutest Figure 8 Puffers. They are absolutely adorable at this size and quite honestly will most likely sellout in a hruuy because of that.

Rocket Gars came in a bit small a couple of weeks ago which is why I left them out of the email but now that they've had some time to chow down on feeder guppies they've nearly doubled in size and are good to go.

Livebearers

Red Dragon Dumbo Guppy

Flamingo Guppy

Midnight Male Guppy

Red Wag Platy

Bumble Bee Platy

Assorted Swords

Large Gold Sailfin Molly

Community

Cherry barbs are running monster sized right now but as you know that can change from batch to batch so hopefully this remains the case at least through next week.

Red Panda barbs are coming in large enough to start showing color. they typically don't here due to the fact that we keep them in bare bottom tanks. As soon as these are over substrate they will should light up like a Christmas tree.

Got a slew of Choprai aka Glowlight Danios in at the moment. This is a great addition to any Danio/cyprinid selection especially considering that Zebra Danios are currently only available as imports and there's not much of a price difference. Plus they're on special this week.

It's that time of year where the Rainbow are strating to come in big again and the Signifers are no exception. Albeit they're a dwarf/nano species these are running about as big as the get.

Featherfins are also running bigger than they have been. Now that being said these are not huge but definitely a solid size.

German Gold Rams seem to be coming in with more consistent frequency. Size is still a little mixy but overall pretty nice as well some very nicely colored males in the group.

Tetras

Rosy Tetras got a restock this week which is most welcomed as their counterpart the Candy Cane Tetra has been unavailable for quite some time. These make a good substitute.

Silver Hatchets came in a bit oversized this week and looking really solid so far.

New Ember Tetras also came in a bit on the bigger side this week. These are one of the best nano tank fish out there and one that everyone should be stocking. Not to mention these are incredibly hardy. When I was in retail I seldom had losses on these.

Longfin Serpaes continue to come in a bit a on the small side but have great fins and really bright color. Will have no trouble moving these.

Longfin Blushers are back and creepy as ever. Always find it unsettling when you can see a fish's internal organs but that unique appearance is what makes them such a good seller.

Head & Tail Lights keep coming in decent size with fairly bright eyes. Not the most exciting fish in he world but a necessary staple every one should have.

Penguin Tetras are coming in huge again. About as big as I've seen come through here. Super sturdy as well. Have virtually seen zero losses on these so far.

Cichlids

Still have a decent number of Escondido Carpintis aka EB Carpintis on hand. This is arguably one of the nicest, purest strains of this fish out there. Already super bright turquoise and will only get better with age.

Got in some medium Salvini over the weekend and they're almost the same size as the 4" with tons of color on the face and belly. One of the best value Cichlids on the list this week.

Medium Rustys came in about as nice as they get. Solid size with bright purple bodies outlined by rusty red trim.

Got in some "Large" Electric Blue Ahlis a couple weeks ago that were definitely undersized but have since grown quite a bit and are really strating to show their adult color. Group looks to be mostly if not entirely male but only the dominant individuals will display color at this size.

Rock Kribs are back after a brief hiatus. this pic was taken minutes after they got here and they have since settled down and are looking really sharp now. This is one of the best selling Victorian Haps as both the males and females have good color. Females are bright gold and the males develop a bright purple belly even at a young age.

Got in some Kyoga Flamebacks late last week. This is a Florida strain and is definitely not pure. But if you're looking for something that is colorful and relatively inexpensive and easy to sell then this is definitely something you should be stocking. Please note they are just now starting to show color and the males at this size are only going to color up a couple at a time.

I said I was going to mention the large assorted Haps every week as long as they kept coming in really nice so here I am keeping my word. I'm able to find a number of absolute gems every time and this week is no exception.

Medium Male Florida raised Peacocks always have nice mix in there even if it includes some Peahap hybrids. There are some pure strains in there as well so it is a bit of a mixed bag but every one of them has great color and is an easy sell.

Got in a new 4" size in on the import Peacocks. At this size these don't appear to be nearly as juiced as the 2-3" ones and look as though they will maintain their color from this point on. Great value on these.

Another example of the 4" import Peacocks.

Hi-Yellow OB Peacocks are due in later this afternoon. This is a pic of one of the individuals we took to Global last month. Once we got them back to the farm they sold out immediately. We have mediums coming in but their of the same strain and will be just are bright but just a bit smaller.

OB Red Empress was another one we displayed at Global and again sold out as soon as we put them on the list. Have more of these coming in today at a large size but these will be limited so get with your rep early if you want a few.

Inverts

If you're not stocking Assasin Snails you absolutely should be. These are super popular amongst aquarists due to their functionality. these are an absolute must have for planted aquariums.

Yellow Fire Shrimp came in so bright they look almost as though they could glow in the dark.

Red Cherry Shrimp came in super nice last night. These a re some of the biggest and brightest I've seen come through here.

Got a nice restock on Orange Rabbit snail so should be plenty to go around this week.

Plecos & Pals

New batch of medium Lemon Blue Eye Bushynose are the biggest to come through so far. Mostly males showing off quite a few bristles over the mouth. Nice bright yellow coloration on these.

Colombian Snowball Plecos got a restock this week after being absent for a minute. Size range is pretty consistent along with having fat bellies.

This weeks group of Colombian Snowball Plecos have really high contrast with super crisp striping.

Black Line Flying Fox aka Siamese Algae Eaters are back in stock this week. These are far superior to Chinese Algae Eaters due to the fact that not only do they eat algae throughout their entire lifespan they eat various types including hair algae.

Got in more Tiger Shovelnose cats this week and they continue to come in at a pretty decent size. Not so small where they run the risk of getting skinny over night but still recommend keeping a school of feeders on them to keep them nice and fat.

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