Hey Folks,
Busy busy weekend for incoming. Lotta nice stuff coming on from Bangkok this week. If you stock brackish water species then we got you covered this week. New Green Scats look like they just came from a magazine shoot. Look absolutely perfect. Archers are some of the biggest we've gotten in a while, most are 2"+ and I'm being conservative with that size estimate. New batch of Figure Eight Puffers are not only nice and bright but plenty plump to boot. But if you're you're looking for straight up freshwater we got plenty of nice additions there as well. We'll start from the bottom, feeders that is. Tiger Botias are back and are significantly bigger than the last several batches we've gotten in. If you've never brought these in before just know that they are a bit on the territorial side. However that's not necessarily a bad thing as these are perfect for those in need of a scavenger that can go with larger aggressive species i.e. African Cichlids. These guys are highly adaptive and can thrive in most water conditions. Along those same lines we got in a new batch of Redtail Botias if you're looking for something with a splash of color. But if you need something small and peaceful for the bottom then look no further than the Striped Kuhli Loach. Always a fan favorite and this group came in particularly nice.
Got some nice Cichlid restock both domestic and imports. New Flowerhorns are some of the nicest we've had lately (and that's saying something because they were already coming in very nice) both in terms of size and color variants. New Strawberry Peacocks are as bright (and juiced) as they get. Albino Auratus are back in for the first time in who knows how long. I think this one just gets overlooked for some reason and I'll never understand why since it's better looking than it's wild counterpart. Same thing goes for Exasperatus. Just got a restock on Albino Kyoga Flamebacks that look to be a bit male heavy not to mention a great value since they're on special this week. And if you missed the Friday email we got in Albino Red Top Trewavassae for the first time in over three years!
In case you missed it here's a recap from Friday's newsletter:
. I'll dive right in with Rainbows since those always get impacted once things cool off. Have good availability on all the essential items i.e. Reds, Turquoise, Neon Dwarf etc. But the standout this week are the Parkinsoni. I always like to feature one of the lesser appreciated species, especially when they deserve to be right up there with the most popular ones. Size is great on these and the color is even better. Next up are the Angels. Most varieties are over sized but the two biggest standouts this week are the large Veils and the medium Blues. Can't go wrong any of them bit those two are head turners this week. And since Angels are technically a Cichlid I'm gonna take this opportunity to segue into a couple of new offerings we have this week. First are the Marbled Fenestratus. This is a Vieja species (not to be confused with the Protomelas type) so you know these are gonna get big. What's great about these is that unlike a lot of species with this piebald trait these are already showing awesome color and pattern breaks. Some species have to go through a "peeling" phase before that happens. The other is the 4-5" Tabasco Salvini. We offered these in a 1-2" size a couple months back and they went over like gang busters. I expect these to sell out even faster since they're practically adult size and the color is next level.
In other Cichlid news we finally got Bleekeri back in stock for the first time in nearly a year. If you don't recognise the name you might know them by their alias, Starry Night Cichlid. That cane get a bit confusing since there is a Tropheus Duboisi variant that shares that same moniker. These are in no way related. This a Madagascar native and grows to 12"+. For those of you who go sport fishing the adults of these almost resemble that of a Black Crappie. Not sure if these taste as good though lol. Looking to the Mbuna side of things we got some long lost favorites back in the mix this week. We'll start with the Chipokae. Old schoolers will know this one for sure but if you haven't been buying Lake Malawi fish since the 70s these may just look like Auratus at first. That changes once the males start to mature as they become an awesome shades of navy and royal blue as opposed to the shades of mud that male auratus turn into lol. But color not withstanding these are almost as aggressive. And while we are on the subject of Melanochromis we got in some gorgeous Mainganos. This is another one that has a very similar looking common counterpart, Electric Blue Johanni. As juveniles they are very difficult to distinguish from one another abut it becomes apparent once they reach maturity. Maingano are much darker with an almost black navy blue body adorned by electric blue pinstripes. Diehard Cichlid buffs will know the difference and will almost certainly opt for these as they are not nearly as common. And last but defifntely not least are the Albino Trewavassae. This is probably the most coveted of all the Labeotropheus.
Colombia is almost always the easiest section to write about because just about everything coming out of there is easy to pitch. If it's Peacock Bass you're looking for it's Peacock Bass we got. Three different sizes in fact. So whatever your budget or space availability is we got a Bass for you. But if big and predatory isn't your bag then maybe check out the wild Blue Rams. These don't come along nearly as often as the used to and hobbyists/breeders are always looking to freshen up their brood stock. As for something more uncommon we got in Sailfin Tetras. If you have never tried these you need to. Without a doubt the coolest, most unusual Tetra to call Colombia it's home. But the one I'm most excited about many would consider to be the homeliest, Hoplo Cats. These mud colored beauties make for one of the best community tank bottom feeders. Not only are they excellent scavengers but they are super peaceful and be kept just about anything. These came in as "Spotted" but are more of a mottled Tiger stripey appearance. But the one item that I can guarantee will sell out first will be the South American Gar. This is the "marbled" variety (name makes no sense since it has symmetrical spots but whatever). These came in with very limited numbers so don't sleep on them as they will be gone by the time I'm done writing this.
We will wrap up this week's newsletter with a trip to the far east. I'm gonna come in hot and start with what will most likely be the fastest selling item, Burmese Loaches. these have enough aliases to fill up an eye chart but we're sticking with the afore mentioned moniker. At the end of the day no matter what you decide to call these they are one of the best looking of the mid size Loaches and do a great job of eradicating unwanted nuisance snails. I mentioned these last week but I'm bringing them up again cuz they're awesome and that's the Guentheri Killies. Dollar for dollar they are the best value when it comes to Nothobranchius species. And while these don't usually fall under the "far east" imports conversation we got in another batch of new Guppy varieties from Sri Lanka. The names are ridiculous but the fish are awesome so who cares. The one that I thought was the goofiest seems to have the most recognition with hobbyists and that's the "Handsome Lad" who came up with that and why I'll never know as these look more like a cobra/snakeskin variant so at the end of the day that's all that matters. Just as goofy but just as awesome are the Elephant Ear Orchids. Guess they haven't seen Dumbo over there yet lol. These also have some snakeskin pattern in the body but large, lace patterned tails. But the one with the longest name is also arguably the most unique of all the new varieties and that's the Silver Door Black Lyretail. Say that three times fast. This looks to be an Endler's hybrid type whish means they can pack heavy and should ship very well. Not to mention the fact they are one of the best looking Guppies we've seen come through here.
Reach out to your rep if you have any questions
-Nautilus Sales Team
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