Name: Marbled Hatchetfish (Carnegiella strigata)Native Range: South America; Lower, middle and upper Amazon River basin; south of Amazon; and Caqueta River in Colombia.
Water Parameters: 75 to 82 F (24 to 28 C), pH of 5.0 to 7.0
Maximum Size: 1.5 inches (3.5 cm)
Minimum Aquarium Size: These fish spend a majority of their time at the surface of the water, and water depth is not really an issue. They need at least 180 square inches of surface per fish, so a standard 29 gallon aquarium (with a top of 30x12 inches) would be enough room for about 2 of these guys, but they should be kept in larger groups of 5 or more to reduce skittishness. They need a lot of room.
Feeding: These fish should be fed floating food, as they will ignore most things as soon as they drift below the surface. Tropical fish flakes and freeze dried brine shrimp are common food items.
Compatability: Marbled hatchetfish are very peaceful fish. They are slow to acclimate to an aquarium, and often are the last to eat. They normally will eat as much as they can stuff in their mouths, though. They do well with most other small Amazonian fish, including tetras, angelfish, plecostomus, guppies, and others. Will do well with certain aggressive fish too, as hatchetfish occupy the region of a fishtank that few other fish spend time in: the surface level.
That said, they are very nervous fish. Noises will send them darting around the aquarium, and frequently out of the water and across the room when they aren't kept in the water by a tight-fitting lid. Without a good lid, you are almost guaranteed to lose most of your fish quickly.
