Newsletter 12-18-25

Friday, December 19, 2025

Starfire Red® Angels are here just in time for the holidays.

Hey folks,

I both love and hate weeks like this. We got in a TON of awesome stuff, but most of it came in super late last night so I have had very little time to put this together. So while the written portion of this is going to be brief I opted to spend the bulk of my time providing pics instead. I figure most people would rather look at pretty pictures of fish than read my misspelled ramblings presented in with tons of grammatical errors lol. But before we get into all of the new incoming items I just wanted to remind everyone that we do have a fair number of Starfire Red Angels still available. Stock up now since as we all know December 26th marks the start of our busy season.

Colombia once again had some monster additions this week. Came in very late so the pics aren't exactly the greatest but just imagine how awesome everything is gonna look once it's been here for more than ten minutes. For the first time that I can remember the two items I am the most excited about are both Tetras. The Rainbow and Blue Flash Tetras took me by absolute surprise. We have two sizes on the Rainbows, regular and large. The large look to be mostly if not all male. These are some of if not the biggest I've ever seen. The Blue Flash Tetras however ARE the biggest I've ever seen. Almost didn't order these as I assumed they would be small and silver. Boy was I wrong. These are massive and stunning. Not only am I glad we ordered them but now I'm mad that I didn't order more.

In addition to two of the greatest looking Tetras we also got in some much needed fancy Plecos. The award for most impressive goes to the Mustard Spot. These are by far the biggest of all the Plecos we got in from Colombia this week. But a close second goes to the Sabaji. Not familiar with that name? I'm not surprised. This species has gone through like nine different descriptions since it's discovery. L-75 will give you the most accurate depiction of it on a Google search. Also got in Orange Seams, Snowballs and some very nice Blue Phantoms. In addition to the plecos we also got in Elegans, Punctatus and what look to be Leucomelas Cories. That last one was supposed to be CW-127 but they are definitely not that. And last but definitely not least, we got in wild Severums. They were supposed to be all Curare Tiger but there are some Liberifer in there as well. Either way these are awesome looking and showing lots of color even though they've only been here a matter of hours.

For far east newcomers we got in Rosy Loaches for the first time in years. These are a relatively rare nano species that pops on the lists every now and then but almost never gets filled. Also in for the first time in forever are the Kalopter Flying Fox. I have like an entire paragraph written in their caption down below. And while not new but sorely needed we got in both Scarlet and Indian Blue Badis. Arguably two of the most popular nano fish on the planet. And going back to loaches for a second we got refills on Redtail and Tiger Botias. Both very nice size and both relatively aggressive.

We were completely out of Discus all of last we but we managed to overcorrect that this week. Not only did we get in some stunning Singapore gems, we also got in some local tank-raised fish from one our very own team members. Red Cover Blue Ring Discus is the official name but I shortened it on the list to just Blue Ring for simplicity sake. Got a pic of both the parents and the fish we have available down below. These have a wild-type look to them but are absolutely incredible as adults.

And as usual I have to finish up with some Florida raised specialties. So much to list and unfortunately I'm about out of time. So here's the reader's digest version. In Central/Southies we got in large Green Terrors, EB Acaras, Blue Aureus, 4" Nicaraguense, 3" Red Head Tapajos, three sizes of Chocolates and Jumbo Lyonsi. For Africans we got in probably the nicest assortment of mixed male Peacocks in medium, large and XL. We also got in regular, medium and large fancy assorted Mbuna. There's plenty of pics down below. And don't forget it's a very limited shipping schedule next week so get your orders in as soon as possible.

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)'

GloFish®

GloFish® Moonrise Pink® Cories are the hot seller going into the winter months and are currently not available in big box stores.

Colombia

L-75 Plecos aka Sabaji, Big Spot or Yellow Spot (that last one is stupid they're not yellow and neither are their spots) are on of my all time favorite Loracariids. Not as flashy or as colorful as like a Gold Nugget but super cool none the less. They get some very nice orange coloration in the fins with very large dark spots throughout.

Colombian Snowball Plecos are back and at the perfect size. Around 2-2.5" these are charcoal in with bright opal dots covering the body. Typically a staple item these have been in short supply the past few months and are sure to fly out of here.

Blue Phantom Plecos are in at a medium size this week and if the way the last ones sold is any indicator as to the demand for this species at the moment these will be gone before I finish typing this sentence.

Orange Seam Plecos are back again. This is a great "fancy" Pleco at a budget price. Once they settle in you'll see why they're called "Orange Seam". These also have a nice olive honeycomb pattern making them very distinct in appearnce.

Mustard Spot Plecos came in huge. Not sure if I've ever seen them quite this big. Fins are a little rough but that's to be expected. Once settled these are jet black with orangish copper spotting throughout the body and fins. Not very common these days these won't be here long as they came in with fairly limited numbers.

Curare Tiger Severums are in for the first time in nearly two years. Most are really good size and already showing good color amd markings. Full transparency it does look like there are some Liberifers in the mix but these are very close in appearance and both are equally sought after. Look at some pics online of some adults and you'll see what I'm talking about. These would be great for a breeding project.

Rainbow Tetras look incredible! Looks like we will have two sizes on these with one of them being mostly large males. They're so big (by comparison) that they are trying to eat the smaller individuals in the group. I say this a lot but the pic does not do them justice. One of the nicest looking Tetras on the farm.

These might be the biggest surprise in the entire shipment. Believe this is the first time we have ever had Blue Flash Tetras come through here and they do not disappoint. At first glance I thought we put large Congo Tetras in the wrong vat but nope, it was these amazing beauties. These are fresh out of the bag so I can't wait to see what they look like after a day or two. These look even better than any of the pics I could find online!

Elegans Cories are in for the first time in ages and so far they look great. About 1.25" but that's a good thing as the smaller ones tend to acclimate more readily.

Asia Imports

New batch of Flowerhorns came in with some great color. Size is a little mixy like usual but still very nice.

Turkana Jewels are back this week and about as big as we ever get them. Once settled in the color on these is mind blowing. Very unique tangerine/red body with blue spotting inside of black fins. One of if not the coolest variants of Jewel Cichlids.

Say this every time we get them, if you're not stocking Blue Kerri Tetras when they're available you are missing out. It's a purple fish with a prominent black stripe going down the body. 'Nuff said.

Indian Blue Badis are in for what I believe is only the second time (or at least since I've been here). Can never have too many nano fish available for your customers to choose from.

Same as above goes for the Scarlet Badis. When available this is THE best selling fish for nano enthusiasts.

Sanke Swords came in with a bit of a different look to them this week. Almost looks like there's some marigold undertones in the genes.

Longfin Tiger Barbs are back. If you've missed my speech on these they actually are far less nippy than their short fin counterparts since they can't swim nearly as fast lol.

Knight Gobies are one of the most popular brackish water species available for a reason, they straight up look like a full on saltwater goby. Super high dorsal fin with a polka dot pattern makes them real standouts.

Kalopter Flying Fox are in for the first time in who knows how long. This species is the one many consider to be the "true" Flying Fox. I'm not gonna sit here and debate nomenclature but I will say these are the most attractive of the genus. Instead of being silver these are a more bronzy/gold color. And just like the other "Foxes" these are excellent algae eaters.

Nano Loaches are few and far between when it comes to availability but for the first time in aeons we got in Rosy Loaches. These stay very small, approx. 1-1.5", but like most nano fish are highly sought after. As the name suggests they develop an orangish rose color hue to them as they mature. This is a stock photo of an established adult. There is a pic of the ones we have down below that just came in late last night. I would say I'll send a pic of them next time once they've had time to settle in but doubt they'll be here long enough for that to happen.

Rosy Loach

If you're looking for something to offer your customers who have large, aggressive fish and need something for maintenance then look no further than the Tiger Botias. Not only can they handle themselves but they are active scavengers who's favorite snack is nuisance snails.

Same as above but with a teal colored body and red color in the fins the Redtail Botia makes for a colorful option bottom feeder.

Glass Cats really don't require any hype. They come in, they sell out. This is just to let everyone know we have them this week.

If you need something that gets gigantic and eats everything in sight then we got you covered with S.A. Redtail cats. Just be sure to keep them well fed at this age since their metabolic rate is like that of a Ferrari running in the red.

Cichlids-Due in

Rainbow Cichlids got a restock this week and this batch definitely lives up to it's common name.

Got a few sizes of Chocolate Cichlids arriving this afternoon-3", 4" & 5". These only get better with age so any one of these sizes are gonna look great. 3" is what's featured in the pic.

5" Chocolate Cichlids are the biggest I've ever seen come through here.

Got in some more 5" Green Terrors this week (pictured above) and also got in a couple of Jumbos expected in later today. Get with your rep on availability and pricing on these as they are severely limited.

Blue Aureus Cichlids are also expected later today. This is a pic of the last ones we got in. Expect this week's to be around the same size. These are a Firemouth relative but not nearly as territorial.

Large Electric Blue Acara need no introduction. These are also limited so don't wait around to order.

Red Head Tapajos have been THE hottest Geo for the last few years. The only ones that have been available have been around 1". The ones expected later today are supposed to be around 3".

Old World Cichlids

We have Bleekeri again! We thought we would never have them again, but luckily it looks like one of the other farms down here bought all the broodstock from a well known breeder when he sold everything off, and got them to breed, so we have regular size available today.

This is NOT the size we have (likely never will again) but just to show you what the adults look like when mature. One of the coolest fish in the world. Like a Pygmy Sunfish on steroids.

Albino German Reds might be one of the best colored Peacocks at a regular size. These are already bright gold and only get better with age.

This week's Assorted XL Peacocks might be the nicest batch we've ever had. Fantastic mix of both OB and solid colors. I'm half tempted to set some aside for Global Pet Expo but that's still a ways away. Most aquarium strain hybrids but who cares, these are all incredible looking fish. I nicknamed this one "Flaming Dragon".

Same as above this Blueberry OB came out of the XL Peacock mix. If you have customers looking for show fish you're in the right place.

Calling this guy OB Purple Berry.

This is clearly a Hap/Peacock hybrid. But like I said earlier in the email you'd be hard pressed to find better colored fish than these guys.

Frosted Red Pastel Peacock. Yes, I just made that up. But then again so did the guy who first described "Marlboro Red" Discus.

It's not all about peacocks when it comes to African Cichlids this week. We also got in some amazing mixed fancy Mbuna. Got all three sizes available-regular, medium and large. The on e in the Pic is a large.

Another example of the large fancy Mbuna. Looks like a cross between a Lion's Cove and a Cobue Afra.

The medium fancy Mbuna also have some amazing gems including this OB Demasoni mix.

Clearly not a Cichlid but from Africa originally the Synodontis Multipunctatus pair great with any of the Rift Lake inhabitants.

Discus

This is a breeding pair of Red Cover Blue Ring Discus owned by one of our crew members. We have juveniles of these for sale this week. I have them on the list as just Blue Ring cuz the rest of that wouldn't fit on a tank label lol. I'll let the pic speak for itself as to how awesome these are.

Juvenile Blue Ring Discus. Parents are featured in the previous slide.

Assorted 2.5-3"

Red Turquoise 2-2.5"

Pigeon Blood 2-2.5"

Inverts

Vampire Crab

Bloody Mary Shrimp

Rili Shrimp

Red Cherry Shrimp

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