Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Characins > Marbled Hatchetfish

Marbled HatchetfishRiver Hatchetfish

Family: Gasteropelecidae

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Carnegiella strigata

     With its unusual 'hatchet' shaped body, the Marbled Hatchetfish is a very unique looking fish!

     The Marble Hatchetfish is a River Hatchetfish. Though quite original looking, it is very similar the Common Hatchetfish. Its differences are in a distinctive marbled coloring and being smaller.

     The Marbled Hatchetfish are a peaceful community fish, but not quite as hardy as the Common Hatchetfish. They will eat a flake food, but cannot survive on it alone. They must be fed proteins such as mosquito larvae and bloodworms. Because they are prone to ich, it is recommended that they be kept in a quarantine tank for a couple of weeks before introducing them to a community aquarium.

     Marbled Hatchetfish are also a schooling fish and should be kept in groups of 5 or more. They like to hang at the surface of the water and they like to jump, so keep a good top on the aquarium. These fish will appreciate some floating plants, but with their mouth situated up on top of their body you can see that the Marbled Hatchetfish must be used to eating at the surface. Be sure to provide some clear areas on the surface for them to feed!

     The hatchetfishes of the family Gasteropelecidae leap from the water and fly through the air, flapping their large pectoral fins to catch flying insects.. They are generally accepted as being the only true "flyingfish" as they are the only fish that move their pectoral fins to aid in their flight!

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Distribution:      The Marbled Hatchetfish or River Hatchetfish, was described by GĂĽnther in 1864. They are found in South America throughout the Amazon River basin, Lower, middle and upper, as well as the Caqueta River in Colombia.
     The Marbled Hatchetfish species Carnegiella strigata strigata are found in Iquitos, Peru. A similar hatchetfish, Carnegiella strigata fasciata are found Guyana. The fish from Guyana are supposed to be easier to keep but it is difficult to tell the difference between the species.

Status:      The species is not listed on the IUCN Red List.

Description:      The Marbled Hatchetfish is a small deep bodied fish with a 'hatchet' type shape to it. They are basically a white color with a black marble pattern which looks like black and white stripes running diagonally across them. They have a mouth situated close to the top for feeding at the surface.

Size - Weight:      These fish get up to 1.5 inches (4.0 cm).

Care and feeding:      With their mouth situated up on top of their body you can see they must be used to eating surface. In the wild they will eat foods such as small vinegar flies and mosquito larvae. In the aquarium the Marbled Hatchetfish will generally eat all kinds of foods as long as it is on the surface of the water, however they will not survive with just a flake food. To keep a good balance give them a protein such as Black mosquito larvae, fruit flies, blood worms, or brine shrimp (either live or frozen) everyday.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:      Marbled Hatchetfish will swim at the top of the aquarium. Notice how the mouth is at the top of the body.

Acceptable Water Conditions:      Hardness: 2-20 ° dGH
     Ph: 5.5 to 7.5
     Temp: 75-82 ° F (24-28 ° C)

Social Behaviors:      The Marbled Hatchetfish are always a good community fish.

Sexual Differences:      It is hard to tell, but if viewed from above the female is more plump and the eggs may be seen when the female is about to spawn.

Breeding/Reproduction:      Recommended conditions: Ph 5.5-6.5, 5 ° dGH.
     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.

Buy Marbled Hatchetfish From LiveAquaria.com

     See the description of how to breed Characins in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Availability:      The Marbled Hatchetfish is readily available and is less expensive than the Silver Hatchetfish.

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Latest Comments
I have over 37 fishies in my hugomongous tank. I only have 1 marble hatchet and he loves to eat spaghetti sauce flakes. I purchase them at my best friends store. It has dehydrated tomatoes in it. My fishies do NOT eat mosquito larve OR bloodworms. These fishies go with the flow and don't really need special attention. I believe it is a true waste to buy mosquito larve or bloodwoms. All my marble hatchets that I've had have lived at least 4 years. My daughter brought her favorite one, 007 to college with her. He is still living in her dorm room. Oh gawrsh I miss them so much. Anywho, these fishies are the easiest fishies I have ever had. Also, they don't really need to be in groups of 5 or more. Just one can live on it's own, like my elderly grandmother. DO NOT WASTE YOUR HARD-EARNED MOOLAH ON EXTRA SPECIAL CARE OR FOOD! I'M TELLING YOU PEOPLE IF YOU SPEND EXTRA CA-CHING ON THESE FISH YOU ARE INSANE! Thank ya'll sweeties. Myrtle 2009-03-27
I have had really bad trouble with my fish, he keeps attacking my other fish and everything that is in the tank. Apart from that he is really good Lauren 2007-09-24
I have had 4 marbled hatchetfish for 3 months now and they turned out to be perfect fish. For the first 7 to 10 days they had trouble getting food because because of the other fish getting to it first. After that they managed to get some food and I was reassured they would survive. My favorite thing about them is how they school together. There shape also helps them stand out a lot. They are great fish for a community tank. jonathan 2007-07-30
Some of the coolest comments:
In my experience, hatchet fish are indestructible. I have two that have survived all the cruelties that an inexperienced person can unleash on them and have survived where all others have fallen... Literally. Last night my wife noticed that one of them was missing and I found the poor fish behind the table I have my ten gallon tank on (It had jumped through a hole the size of a golfball). I went to take him to the Flushing Meadows Funeral Home when the tough little guy twitched in my hand. I removed all the dust and hair from him and put him back in the tank. Turns out he's fine. Neither have had anything but flake food, by the way, but I love them and will go get them some treats today. Thanks for the article. grayson berry 2009-09-12
Marble hatchet fish caught my eye in a tropical fish store as one of the most serene fish i have ever seen before. I decided to purchase 5 of them and placed them with my 55 neon tetras in 20 gal, heavily planted tank. From the moment they were placed in the transport bag until the moment of their release into my tank i kept extreme care not to shock them, bounce them around or expose to strong light. When i arrived home i turned off the lights in my fish tank and let the open bag float for about 20 min while adding half cup of the fish tank water into the bag every five minutes. No stress is the key word for these delicate creatures if you want them to keep their immune system high. Releasing these beauties into my tank was the highlight of the day. The light being turned off contributed to their calmness and faster aclimatization to my fish tank. When the lights were turned on again [after 2 hours] they seemed relaxed, but, to my great surprise swiming in a middle portion of the tank. Next day they were swiming in their prefered area, surface, looking for some flies or mosquito larve. They accepted dried mosquito larve and frozen blood worms. It has been almost 6 months since i purchased these 5 marble hatchets and for the sake of their own peace i will give all my neon tetras away and maybe keep only 10 neons in this tank. Neons eat too fast and my hatchets have no enough time to feed well. I am planning on adding at least 3 more marble hatchets as they have become my most favorite tetra. I will attemt to breed them this summer just for the fun and the beauty of the fish keeping hobby. Piece of advice to those who want to keep this fish: do not place the tank where little kids have access and tap on the glass. It is true that these fish are incredibly sensitive and their immune system will become weaker if they are exposed to stress. Handle them with real care and get as much information about them as possible. Good luck to all fish hobbists. Tony 2005-01-02

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