Comments: These are fabulous fish with a unique shape and a beautiful metallic sheen.
Origin: These Hatchetfish were caught by skillful collectors in the Amazon Rainforest, and now they live in aquariums all over the world.
Maximum Size: In aquariums, these Hatchetfish can grow to be about 1.25" long.
Behaviors: Hatchetfish are usually not aggresive fish.
Compatibility: Some recommended tank mates include Neon Tetras, Cardinal Tetras, Glowlight Tetras, Ember Tetras, Rummynose Tetras, Pencilfish, Dwarf Cichlids, and Corydoras Dwarf Catfish.
Click here to read more about compatible groups of pet fish.
Temperature: Hatchetfish live best from about 75 to 80-degrees F. with 78 being perhaps ideal.
Click here to learn about aquarium temperature, aquarium thermometers, and aquarium heaters.
Feeding: Floating Foods like a combination of Premium Fish Food Flakes and Freeze Dried Bloodworms are the best food these fish.
Click here to learn more about and shop online for premium fish foods.
Water Conditions: this Hatchetfish lives in so-called black-waters across a wide region in the Amazon Rainforests.
So they do best in water with a low to moderate pH and low to moderate hardnesss.
Most water in the US has a higher pH and is harder. So it's usually best to dilute your local tap water with RO-Water. This is not a good fish for beginning aquarists.
Here in our facilities the water is hard and the pH is usually about 7.8. We ship them in this water.
Click here for a lot more information about aquarium water conditions.
Aquarium Size: Hatchetfish can do well in a 20-gallon tank, but of course bigger is better.
Decor: Hatchetfish do not need gravel, and a layer of gravel more than 1/4" thick will usually fill with bits of uneaten food that will contaminate the water.
Click here for more about aquarium gravel.
Live plants are beautiful and improve the water quality. Hatchetfish need both rooted and floating plants.
Also non-toxic aquarium-safe driftwood seems to improve the quality of the water for Hatchetfish
Aquarium Filter: Bio-Wheel Filters are highly recommended. The Penguin 100B Filters will do well for this species in a 20-30 gallon tank. Hatchets prefer still water.
Click here to learn more about aquarium filters.
The addition of Lava Rocks will keep nitrates in the ideal range. Click here to learn more about using Lava Rocks in aquariums.
Life Span: Hatchetfish can live for about 5-years. Keep the water conditions excellent and feed them premium foods, and they may live even longer.
Gender: It is very difficult to determine the sex of these fish, but when mature you can sometimes see that the female is plumper when viewing the female from above.
Breeding: We've not heard of any success breeding this fish.
Click here for a lot more about breeding various tropical fish in aquariums.
Popularity: These fish are popular fish in the aquarium hobby.
Names: The scientific name for Hatchetfish is Carnegiella strigata.
Variations: This fish occurs across a wide region in the Amazon Rainforests, where there are several variations in their patterns and shapes.
These variations are now called subspecies but may in fact be different species.
We hope you've enjoyed reading these comments.
All of our fish are Premium Quality Fish from the best suppliers in the world. Our fish have better health, more energy and brighter colors, as you can see in our pictures on this website.
We have 380-aquariums with lots-and-lots of popular aquarium fish plus lots-and-lots of rare fish!
We consider ourselves to be the link between the world's best sources of fish and the world's best customers. We love our work, and we are very responsible about caring for our fish and then shipping them carefully.
We also offer lots and lots of information about keeping and caring for pet fish, all from the knowledge of the Bailey Brothers, who have a combined total of 100+ years of experience as breeders, wholesalers, and retailers of pet fish!
Our fish and our customers are treated with the best of care, and we work energetically everyday to make sure every customer enjoys their new fishy friends.
When you purchase pet fish from us, you know you're receiving premium quality fish and premium quality service.
"Received my fish last night and was so pleased! They all arrived alive and appeared to be healthy.
"Once in the tank, they became very active and are now thriving in their new home.
"Beautiful fish, I asked for color and aquariumfish delivered. Processing and shipping was extremely quick."
Nevin and DrTom, the Bailey Brothers
This website is owned and operated by the Bailey Brothers, DrTom and Nevin, who've been together in the fish business for more than 50-years.
The Product Manager has been with the company for more than 35-years.
So we feel very confident that this is the fishiest crew anywhere.