Hatchetfish

I've been eyeing up these little surface dwellers for the last couple of months so yesterday, I decided to get some. I now have four Marbled Hatchetfish (the nicest variety IMO) and they're in the Q tank atm. They must like where they are because they laid eggs in the floating plants overnight! :lol:

They're a fascinating little fish and look more like birds than fish! They do this fascinating synchronized fin flicking thing which is quite mesmerizing. I only discovered after I got them that they're considered the only true "flying fish" and can jump enormous distances so a lid on the tank is essential...

Interesting looking fish Mary .

Coincidence!!! I am planning a paludarium with hatchet fish! Are tehy nice? Have they 'flown' yet!! What floating plants do have and stuff like that. I'd love mine to lay eggs! Lovely pics btw

Matty wrote:

Coincidence!!! I am planning a paludarium with hatchet fish! Are tehy nice? Have they 'flown' yet!! What floating plants do have and stuff like that. I'd love mine to lay eggs! Lovely pics btw

:lol: So many questions, so little time.

They're a lovely, fascinating little fish. No, they haven't "flown" yet and I hope they never do. When I was planting the tank today, I was petrified they'd leap out so I had a large net poised over the top just in case but thankfully none of them did.

I just have a covering of Salvinia natans which they seem to like but alas the eggs were laid in some Bacopa that I just had floating until I had a chance to plant it. Now that it is, I doubt if any will hatch. Still when they move to the 90L tank, they might oblige by producing another batch.

One of the easiest fish to photograph as they very helpfully stay in the one place for long periods of time. :lol:

They look lovely!! Must sort out a tank

What amazing little fish Mary, I have never seen anything like that before, they look so cute!

Mary, they are lovely, I would love some of them! What size do they grow too, and are they compatable with most things?

Wow Mary, they are great little fish! They look like little ballerinas in the tank :lol:

They do, tardis. Very graceful. I fed them some brine shrimp tonight and they just skeetered all over the place like little dancers so an apt description.

What great little fish Mary! I have never even heard of them (surprise, surprise!!), but the look lovely. I guess water changes and cleaning the tank will be a bit more challenging from now on :lol:

Diana wrote:

Mary, they are lovely, I would love some of them! What size do they grow too, and are they compatable with most things?

Wel of course I did my research after the fact. Doh. But they grow to about 5cm so need a 90L tank minimum, need to be kept in groups of at least 4-5 individuals (preferably more if you have the room) and are compatible with everything AFAIK apart from very large aggressive species such as Angelfish and other cichlids that might view them as food.

As they spend 90% of their time hovering just below the surface, floating plants are required to help them feel secure (you're sorted there Diana ) and as well as flake, need other floating foods such as Tubifex worms which come in little freeze dried blocks that you can break pieces off of.

However, they are considered a true "flying fish" so a lid on the tank is essential. I did a water change the other day and added plants to the tank with a big net poised over the top just in case but thankfully, they didn't budge. I think slow, methodical movements are less likely to startle them so they were fine. I'm just mesmerized by them though - if you ever come across any in an LFS, you'll see what I mean.

They're gorgeous, are they readily available?? I wonder if they'll get on with my perch, or even in my other tank with my dwarf puffers. What you reckon?

Definitely not the puffers - they'd decimate them I reckon as they kind of look like floating flakes... :lol:

I've only ever come across them in one LFS and, like I said, I'd been eyeing them up for months before I succumbed. There's also a larger Silver variety but IMO the Marbled ones are the prettiest.

They are lovely! I want to see them fly

Matty wrote:

They are lovely! I want to see them fly

I don't...:lol:

Mary wrote:

Matty wrote:

They are lovely! I want to see them fly

I don't...:lol:

what cracking little fish Mary, really the best little fish i have seen for ages!

Thanks driver. Wait 'til you see the Butterfly fish I'm planning to get for the four foot tank...

Here's a photo from the web...

now THEY creep me out, remind me of spiders for some reason lol

I cant make that out - is that one fish sot of split up the middle, or is one fish reflected in the water. That just looks weird!

Oh Mary.. that's one ugly fish (sorry)

Mary wrote:

Thanks driver. Wait 'til you see the Butterfly fish I'm planning to get for the four foot tank...

Here's a photo from the web...

You are getting all the flying fish and don't want to see them fly!!!

cam wrote:

I cant make that out - is that one fish sot of split up the middle, or is one fish reflected in the water. That just looks weird!

It's a reflection. The fish is the bottom half.

Mary wrote:

cam wrote:

I cant make that out - is that one fish sot of split up the middle, or is one fish reflected in the water. That just looks weird!

It's a reflection. The fish is the bottom half.

Thanks for that Mary, I couldn't make it out either! What a strange fish, it looks sort of mottled