Off on Monday, please see our schedule
Hey folks,
hard to believe that it's Memorial Day weekend already. So that means that summer is upon us and with that come a lot of oversized fish. Warmer outside temps means warmer pond temps which equals better growth rates. I get that this tends to be the slower time of year especially for those of you up north but that doesn't mean things have to drop off entirely. I've found that by being able to bring in nicer than average fish and promoting them on social media can help drive foot traffic even during the slow season. A lot of nice stuff coming in especially the Florida raised fish.
So that's where we'll start. Hurricane Milton feels like forever ago but we've still been feeling the impact as far as availability on locally raised fish is concerned. We're finally starting to see a number of species that were impacted making a comeback. One of my favorites to return this week are the Gold Barbs. Once super common their availability has dropped off over the past few years even without a devastating storm coming through. Florida Raised Cherry Barbs are also starting to pop up here and there. Check out the Albinos down below, they're awesome. Like said with pond temps on the rise so are the growth rates and many of the Rainbows are no exception. There are some absolute stunners available this week. But take my word for it. Check out the pics below.
And of course I can't talk about Florida raised fish without talking about Florida raised Cichlids. The far east might have us beat on some things, but Cichlids isn't one of them. Some of the best and purest strains come from right here in the good ole U S of A. Tons of great Africans including the medium assorted male peacocks. One of the best bangs for the buck. Also got in quite a few nice Centrals & Southies including two sizes of my all time favorite, Cubans. They may have a nasty temperament but they're one of the sharpest looking Cichlids out there.
Colombia got a bit of a restock this week. Numbers are limited on certain items so get with your rep early if you're needing anything. We do have pretty good numbers on both Colombian Snowball & Zebra Plecos. Both have great size and color to them. We got in a batch of Bleeding Heart tetras, came in very nice and these are a little bit cheaper than the ones we get from Peru. I mention this down below but the Wild Oscars we have in are some of the nicest I've ever seen. I seriously contemplated setting up a tank in my office for them, they're that nice. We also got in some of the biggest Melanistus Cories I've ever laid eyes on. Now the batch is rather mixed but there are some giants in there as you'll see from the pic. We also got in some staple items as well including Rubber Plecos, Farlowellas and Brown Ghost Knives.
And last but definitely not least we got in a TON of Discus this week. For the first time since I've been here every tub is full. All different sizes and all different colors. In fact we have so may we actually were able to put some on special which I don't believe we've done since a I got here. If you're not sure what to go with go with the assorted. I have some pics down below of what's in there.
Reach out to your rep if you have any questions and have a safe and happy holiday!
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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| These are some of the nicest Wild Oscars I've seen come through here. Pattern is super ornate. I've said this before but I much prefer these to most of the captive strains. |
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| New batch of Bleeding Heart Tetras came in from Colombia this week. While these tend to run a bit smaller than the ones coming in from Peru these are considerably cheaper. |
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| Not all the Melanistus Cories are this big but there are some absolute beasts in there. Keep in mind this is Brody's hand not mine so that thing is a monster sized Cory. |
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Got a restock on Rubber Plecos as well this week. These are a staple that everyone should be carrying. Not to mention that these are much better algae eaters than common plecos and are much more manageable for most fish keepers.
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| Farlowellas are back in stock but in relatively limited numbers so order early. These are running on the smaller side this time around but will still run out quickly. |
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| More Brown Ghost Knives came in on this shipment. These tend to hold up a bit better than Black Ghosts and are far less aggressive towards each other. |
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| Green Phantom Pleco |
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| Strangely we appear to have plenty of Colombian Snowball Plecos in stock. This almost never happens as these are one of the most attractive and popular species to come out of Colombia. Good time to stock up. |
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| Same goes for the Colombian Zebras. Should have plenty to go around on these and the average size is really good on these this time around. |
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| Blue Tiger Parrots came in super mixy this week as far as size is concerned. I would recommend separating out the larger ones and put them at a higher price point. Should have no problem getting a couple of extra bucks on these. |
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| Medium Blood Parrots came in extra bloody this week. Some of them even have blood red eyes lol. |
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| Think there was a mix up in last week's email. THESE are the Blue Neon Gobies. Came in labeled as Rainbow Gobies. Turns out we have both. These are considerably smaller but but still veery nice and holding up well. |
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| New Borneo Suckers came in very mixed in size but look super healthy so far. Virtually no losses on the knock on wood. |
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| More Samurai Gouramis arrived this week and look just as good as the last batch. These are Chocolate Gouarmi relatives but tend to hold up much much better. We have these in hard water and they do just fine. Tend to take to commercially prepared food very quickly as well. |
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| Small Panda Garras are back this week. These are without a doubt one of the best all around algae eaters out there and do great in planted aquariums. |
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| Orange Chromides have been coming in fairly consistently as of late and continue to have really nice color. These can often arrive in rather faded condition but so far all the one we've been receiving look like little tangerines. |
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| Far East raised Uaru came in this week. They're very small but still tend to acclimate well at this size and are still showing their juvenile spotting. |
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| Florida Raised Albino Cherry Barbs have started to come back in and so far they've been fantastic. Both size and color is great on these. |
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| Gold Barbs are back! These are always hit or miss on availability so don't sleep on these. Once again size is pretty mixy but even the smaller ones look really good. One of my all time favorite Barbs. |
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| They're not all this big but there are definitely some chonkers in the Gold Barb mix. |
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| Red Honey Gouramis are absolutely on fire this week. Not ti be confused with the Red Fire Gouramis as these are way nicer this week. |
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| Albino Paradise are coming in about as nice as they get. They're not all this big but there are quite a few fired up males in the mix. |
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| Hawaii Variatus are one of the absolute best looking livebearers on the farm this week. There are a couple of different strains that go by this name by regardless these are great looking little fish. |
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| XL Platies are definitely that this week. Varies from batch to batch but these are practically full blown breeder size. |
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| Rainbows are looking so nice they get their own section this week. This guy colored down as soon as I put him the the net so imagine how great they look in the water. Yellows are one of the nicest fish here this week period. |
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| Great fish with a terrible name. Goyder Rivers are one of the most underrated Rainbows and I solely blame it on their name. Been trying to pull a Joe and come up with something creative and more marketable but so far I got nothing. Let me know if anyone has any suggestions. |
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| Here's one that's also a victim of poor naming. I get that Deep Water Creek is where they're from but Firetail Rainbow is a much better suited name for these guys. |
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| I featured these guys in our Peru section last week but I wanted to get a better pic of the Blue Tetras so everyone can see how vibrant these are. They are considerably larger and brighter than the far east imports we also have on the list. Definitely worth the extra money. |
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| Lemon Tetras are getting slightly bigger and brighter with each passing week. This should continue as we move into summer and the pond temps continue to rise. |
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| Red Eye Tetras keep coming in a bit oversized each week. With summer finally here we should see this trend continue for the next few months. |
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| I mentioned these last week thinking that once we sold through what was available that the size would go back to normal but nope, still monstrous again this week. |
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| Same as above. Still coming in at breeder size. These make for an awesome display. |
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| Both Blue and Gold Rams are coming in as imports and both look fantastic. Size and color is great on these. I typically prefer the Florida raised ones but to argue with how sharp these look. |
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| Still have some 2" and 3" Cuban Cichlids available. Can't go wrong with either as they are both showing sharp contrasting patterns. If you have the space I usually recommend going with the biggest size available but they do need a bit of room otherwise they can be pretty rough on each other. |
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| Yep, we're back on these once more. But like I've said before every time they come in looking great and oversized I'm featuring the medium Electric Blue Acara so here we are again. Got no regerts mentioning these lol. |
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| Still have a handful of 4" Red Devils on hand. Most piebald types like this guy. Even though they're called "Red" Devils people prefer the ones with heavy white on them. |
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| Medium Salvini are almost as big as the 4" that we get in so great value on these this week. |
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| Got just a handful of large Green Terrors on these and I do me a handful. Maybe a dozen or so pieces so let your rep know early if you're interested in some. |
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| I know I bring these up every week but the medium mixed assorted male Peacocks is one of the best values we have here. Always a nice assortment of species and colors. Yes, there are some hybrids in there but there are also some pure strains like this gorgeous Sunshine Peacock. |
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| Also found in the medium assorted male Peacocks. Clearly a hybrid but still gorgeous nonetheless. |
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| Assorted large Haps are still probably the best way to get a big amount of color without having to spend a big amount of money. |
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| This week's Red Zebras aren't exactly a true representation of the strain. However if someone is looking for something nice and bright at a budget level then look no further. |
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| Regular Socolofi are some of the nicest I've seen come through here. Perfect example of what these should look like. |
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| 2-2.5" Assorted-on special this week |
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| 2-2.5" Assorted-on special this week |
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| 2-2.5" Assorted-on special this week |
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| 2.5" Red Turquoise |
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| 2.5" Cobalt |
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| Couldn't get a decent pic of the Adonis Plecos last week to demonstrate just how awesome these are. Perfect size with great markings. |
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| Still have a decent number of royal Plecos on hand and after being here for over a week their fins are just about perfect. |
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| 3" Clown Loaches are back in this week. We've had better luck maintaining numbers on these than the smalls. Just as well since these are such a great value. |
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| Not sure how long they'll keep coming in like this but the Yo Yo Loaches are at a very respectable size right now. Big enough to be showing off their signature "Yo Yo" pattern. |
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| Albino Pacu |
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| Balloon Red Eye Tetra |
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| X-ray Tetra |
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| Orange Rabbit Snail |
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| Brochis Splendens |
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| Halfmoon Mustard Gas Male Betta |
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| Rosetail Halfmoon Male Betta |
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