First time in months, lots of fun catfish
Hey folks,
Peru is here! Peru Is here! Peru is here! Not sure if you can tell or not but I'm really excited about this week's incoming so let's dive right in. In case you missed it Peru is here. Due to seasonal weather and shipping schedule restraints we haven't gotten a shipment out of there in months. But the wait is finally over and boy was it worth it. Lot's of new stuff as well as a couple of staple items.
We'll start with my personal favorite, the Sunset Apistos. I get asked all the time why don't we get more wild Apistos? The answer is because most of them come in very small and colorless. That isn't the case with these. There are certainly some smaller females in the mix but there are also dominant males in there already showing off their bright colors. One of my all time favorite dwarf cichlids. Speaking of cichlids we also got in Geophagus Jurapari. Once upon a time these were the most commonly available of all the eartheaters. But that hasn't been the case in recent years due mostly the widespread availability of Florida raised Geos such as Surinamensis and Heckelii (yes I know the latter isn't technically a Geo). And most of the ones coming out of Colombia tend to have a lot of Daemons in the mix. But I can assure you this batch is 100% Jurapari.
One of the most unique and bizarre species to arrive on this shipment are the Cetopsis Candiru aka Whale Cat. These are one of the most unique looking carnivorous scavengers on the planet. They have a stretched out body with bright purple coloration. They almost look like a Purple Tilefish. In addition to these we got in several other species of catfish including Driftwood Cats. Aptly named as that's exactly what they look like. And unlike the above mentionedd these guys are relatively peaceful as long as they're kept with tankmates too big to swallow. We also got in some gigantic Banjo Cats. Probably the most sedentary catfish species there is. I would have to write on their tank "no, they're not dead. That's just what they do" lol. We also got in Lima Shovelnose which stay much smaller and more manageable than their Tiger cousins.
On this shipment we also got in what will probably be the first to sell out, Sabertooths. These sharp fanged predators have always maintained massive popularity amongst hobbyists. A lot less toothy but also super popular are the South American Lungfish. Very small for now, these guys grow up to be one of the most impressive display species out there. And last but definitely not least are the Adonis Plecos. While they do eventually grow to a relatively large size, they have very slow metabolisms and take quite some time to reach maturity. These came in at a perfect size. Not so small where they're frail but not big enough to come in all tattered from fighting.
As usual we did get in a nice Indo shipment this week as well. My absolute favorite are the Green Scats. I won't spoil it but you'll see why I'm excited about these in the pic down below. We also got a restock on Archers but these are going to be extremely limited so order early. But I have to say the one item most people are going be excited about from the far east are the Sewellia Loaches. We haven't had these in a hot minute as the kids say. We got in as many as were available but I sincerely doubt it's enough so don't sleep on these.
Lots of great items in ALL categories this week but too much to list here so be sure to 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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| Sabertooths are back and toothy as ever. Average size is around 4" and I'm talking about their teeth lol. Ok, maybe not quite that big, their teeth are very large and very sharp so take caution when netting these guys out. One of the most popular predatory species out there. |
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| Cetopsis candiru is a type of small catfish found in the Amazon River. It's known for its parasitic behavior, feeding on the blood and tissues of other fish. Despite its small size, it can be quite aggressive. This fish has adapted to living in fast-flowing waters, making it a unique part of the Amazon's ecosystem. |
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| Sunset Apistos are one the best looking wild types. Most imports are tiny and brown. And while there are some small ones in the mix (most of those are females) there are a decent number of colored up males. |
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| Jurapari are back for the first time in months. Solid 2.5" and looking very healthy. One of the most popular "eartheaters". |
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| Adonis Plecos are one of my favorites of the big Pleco class. Start off charcoal/black with bright white spots with lyretails, eventually turning into spiny jet-black monsters. Relatively slow growers but can attain a length of 30" |
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| Lima Shovelnose are also back this week 3.5-4" and ready to gorge themselves on anything they can fit into their mouths. |
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| Got plenty of Arcuatus aka Skunk Cories in for the first time in a while. Usually they arrive in fairly limited numbers but this time we should have plenty to go around. Good time to stock up on one of the most popular Cories out there. |
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| Banjo cats came in as absolute monsters. These are one of the coolest non-moving fish there is. |
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| A closer look at the above mentioned. A face only a mother could love. |
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| Driftwood Cat |
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| South American Lungfish are also back for the first time in ages. Most are very small and wormy but will grow with time. Some are already beginning to show some gold speckling if you squint real hard. Even at a small size these always sell out very quickly. |
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| Rainbow Dace have been here long enough to come into their seasonal color. Please not that only males color up and this is just for the spawning season. I have had some retain their color for months at a time but definitely not all year. Super gorgeous for now though. |
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| This might be the smallest batch of Green scats I've ever seen and I couldn't be happier. They're absolutely adorable and are gonna fly outta here. Plus they acclimate much more easily at this size. Had virtually zeor casualties on these. |
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| Got a restock on Indo bred Geophagus Sveni this week. For those of you that read this frequently you know what a huge fan of this fish I am. There are without a doubt one of if not the most attractive species of Geos there is. Obviously not at the moment but these guys color up at a very young age. They'll start showing off their red stripes at around 2". |
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| Lemon Oscars also showed up over the weekend. It's been quite a while since these have been in stock, so it's a welcome addition. These lemon Oscars are basically a higher-yellow variant of albino so they keep a beautiful gold color. |
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| I know I put these in here a lot but for me the main purpose of this email is to showcase the best looking fish on the farm and these are always in the top. Flowerhorns may not be the most practical fish to keep since all they want to do is kill everything in sight, they still remain one of the most popular fish in the world. |
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| Sewellia Loaches have made a triumphant return. These have been unavailable for nearly a year. Without a doubt the most attractive of the Hillstream Loaches these guys thrive in fast moving, well oxygenated water. Don't let them get too warm as they are a temperate species. |
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| Zodiac Loaches also got a restock this week. Almost look like a stretched out Yo Yo Loach. Very peaceful and does well in groups. |
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| Getting Cherry Barbs in both as imports as well as Florida raised. Mostly have domestics this week so stock up as these run much bigger than the far east imports. |
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| Gold White Clouds came back in this week and while they are running a bit small color is quite bright i=on them. |
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| Thicklip Sunset Gouramis are back and very big (relatively speaking since they are a dwarf species) and bright. Best advice I ever got on selling these was from Joe when he suggested dropping the "Thicklip" part from the name. Surprisingly that really did make a difference as to how much faster these sold. |
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| Pink Kissers got a restock this week and look nice and solid but are realtively small. |
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| Assorted Lyretail Swords are one of the best available in the category this week. Quite a few males in the mix with nice extensions. |
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| Creamsicle Lyretails are probably the best looking Molly on the farm right now. Super bright and very metallic looking. |
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| Yes, I mention these about every other week. But that's because they've been awesome for months. That's gonna come to a halt at some point since the imports are usually quite small but that just hasn't been the case so far so make sure you're stocking up while you can. |
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| Bloodfin Tetra availability has been pretty scarce lately but they're back in for this week at least. This is another species that was severely impacted by last fall's hurricanes and it's taking a while for them to make a comeback. Grab some while you can. |
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| Not sure how long they're gonna keep coming in at this size but the Black Neons are the largest I have ever seen in 35 years of doing this. To be honest I didn't even know they were capable of getting this big. |
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| Same as above for the Colombian Red & Blues. This wasn't even the biggest one in the batch. |
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| Balloon Red Eyes |
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| Medium Green Terrors are running closer to a large size this week. Great color and fins on these. Always one of the most popular Central/Southies. Can never get enough of these so definitely one to stock up on. |
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| Bartoni are in at a small size for what I believe is for the first time. Had some adults back in January and they flew out of here in just a few days. These grow up to have super dark, contrasting markings on them. They're considered threatened in the wild and are no longer collected so these are very rare in the hobby and therefore highly sought after. |
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| Got a limited number of small Gold Jags in this week. Same supplier from which we got a bunch of breeder sized adults a few months back. So that being said I don't know how much supply there will be available in the future so this is a good opportunity to grab a rare morph of a very popular fish. |
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| We say this every summer but as the pond temps ramp up so does the size of the fish and Firemouths are no exception this week. Average size is up considerably and color is outstanding. |
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| We now have three sizes on the ever popular Red Spot Gold Severums-regular, Select and medium which is what's pictured. A price point for every budget and remember these are Florida raised so no added hormones. These fish will only get better with age and their color won't fade. |
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| Both Red Spot Turquoise and Red Rainbow Severums got a restock this week. These come from a local breeder that has exceptional bloodlines. The adults on both of these have amazing color and are super impressive. |
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| Sill have a decent number of 4" import peacocks available. These are juiced for sure but big enough that even once the settle down they'll still have good color and should remain male. A great way to get a lot of color into your tanks for not a lot of money. I'm dubbing this one "Frosted Strawberry" lol. |
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| 4" Import Peacock Strawberry OB |
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| 4" Import Peacock Super Red |
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| Got restocked on regular size Fancy Mix Mbuna. Mostly hybrids but they are far more divers than the typical Mbuna mix that typically is comprised of Red Zebras, Cobalts, Auratus etc. Give your customers something they haven't seen before. |
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| Also got a restock on regular sized Mixed Haps. Really nice assortment of hybrids that are already starting to show some color like the Rostratus cross pictured on the left. |
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| This gorgeous Cobalt was found in the 2.5-3" assorted Singapore mix. |
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| 2-2.5" Red Pigeon |
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| 2.5-3" Assorted |
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| 2.5-3" Assorted |
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| 2.5" Red Turquoise |
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| Blue Diamond from the 2.5-3" Assorted |
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| This Rose Red was also in the 2.5-3" Assorted mix. These are highly sought after by Discus enthusiasts |
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| Still have a couple of XL Spotted Royal Plecos hanging around. Been here long enough to have nice fat bellies and their color is really starting to shine. Think everyone just assume they sold out so grab one while you still have a chance at one of these show pieces. |
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| Think somehow I managed to miss these small Green Phantom Plecos when they came in on the last Colombia order. These also have had a chance to settle in and are now nice and plump with clean fins and good color. |
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| Punctatus continue to be one of the nicest Cories available and usually tend to be the hardiest. |
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