Marble Hatchet Fish

From German Catalog 1912

Scientific Name : Carnegiella strigata

Common Names : Marbled Hatchet Fish

Origin / Habitat : South America, Amazon River

Temperament / Behavior : Peaceful

Size :  1 3/4 inches

Diet / Foods :Flake food, live and frozen foods.

Hatchet Fish

About

Hatchet Fishes are strange little, paper thin, creatures with bulging bellies. The family is built with a special aeroplane construction that allows them to lift off the surface of the water in search of flying insects. By genetic design the Marble Hatchet fish is a jumper who needs a tight-fitting lid. Because the Marble Hatchet comes from such an interesting lineage, they prefer to swim just beneath the surface of the aquarium.

This graceful fish is impressive in a planted aquarium. Once more it is the marble pattern that catches the eye. Indeed they are considerably smaller, and more wisp-like than their brethren. They are good neighbors in a peaceful aquarium, and stunning in schools of six or more.

Healthy Marble Hatchet fish are easy to take care of. Water chemistry does not matter, as long as the aquarium is will cycled. I have kept them in both hard and soft water. They are a fish that needs to school to feel secure.

To this day Hatchet Fish are still caught in the wild and brought to the market. Breeding them is very difficult. In fact, I don’t think the silver version has ever been bred in captivity. Although I have never spawned them, I do know that from time to time someone writes an article about breeding the Marble Hatchet fish.

History

There are few things that define the full sum of the word exotic like the Marble Hatchet fish. These little stunners were first brought to Germany in 1912. By 1935 they began exporting them to the United States in commercial numbers. In the mid 1930’s they began to appear in catalogues of the day. For rural America, that is how aquarium fish found their way into aquariums. These catalogues could be compared to the seed catalogues that are still used to market gardening supplies today.

An Early Catalog Displaying Hatchet Fish

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