Hatchetfish

Those among us who are fitness freaks will surely approve of the hatchetfish. Named for flat body shape that looks like a hatchet, these fish glow with a blue-green light.

Hatchet Fish are small Bioluminescence creatures. They have organisms that are very useful for survival in the ocean. They are one of the only fish that can jump in the water. Their eyes and mouth are located on the upper surface on their body.

Habitat & Survival: Hatchetfish live all around the world but they are mostly found near South and Central America. They live in the Mid section of the ocean reaching depths of 4500 meter. Mostly the Hatchet Fish are raised in aquariumsThey protect themselves by using their bioluminescence to camouflage in the water so the upper body can look like the ocean and the surface on the bottom can't be seen by anyone.

Food: Hatchetfish reming you of the famous rhyme ‘Little Tom tucker sings for his supper’. Similarly, the hatchetfish jumps for its supper. Since their eyes and mouth are located on the upper surface they eat what is above them. They easily jump out of the water and eat small flies and mosquitos. In aquariums they eat fresh flaked food

Aquarium Care: The hatchetfish will literally keep you on your toes! Hatchet Fish are accomplished jumpers so you will also need a hood that has no escape points that will give them the opportunity to jump out. Keeping them with skittish fish may increase the chances of them deciding to jump out.

The marble hatchet fish is a truly unique looking fish that will always hang out at the top of your tank. In general, hatchet fish do not have the reputation as being one of the hardier species to keep in the home aquarium, but the marble hatchet fish seems to do better than the other hatchet fish. Make sure that you slowly acclimate Marble Hatchet Fish to an established tank that has completed the aquarium nitrogen cycle. They really do well in a small school of 6 or more and with peaceful tank mates. Many of the hatchet fish are wild caught so you should plan on using a quarantine tank for a few weeks for monitoring before introducing them into your main tank. Marble Hatchet Fish will accept all sorts of tropical fish food, including flakes, frozen and freeze dried foods and definitley live foods.

Breeding: The Marbled Hatchetfish are egg layers. Add peat extract to darken the water until it is almost opaque and keep the lighting subdued. Feed small flying insects to induce them to spawn. (Fruit flies or Black mosquito larvae will work).The Marbled Hatchetfish will go through a long courtship after which the female will deposit eggs on plants and roots. The parents should be removed after spawning. The fry will hatch after 30 hours and become free swimming in 5 days. They must be fed finely powdered flake food (or similar; see baby fish foods) for the first 2 or three days but will eat baby brine thereafter.

Other Facts: The Common Hatchetfish are often sold as a Silver Hatchetfish, which is a misnomer though a common mistake. The actual Silver Hatchetfish is another species, Thoracocharax securis.