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Encyclopedia / Oddballs & Predators / Marbled hatchetfish
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Variations

1 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Marbled hatchetfish

Carnegiella strigata · Hatchetfish, Hatchet

Peaceful surface schooler.

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3.5 cmBody length, without tail ✓
24–28 °CTemperature ✓
4–7pH ✓
68 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
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Not recommended
  • Tinfoil barb eats animals up to about 5 cm. Marbled hatchetfish only grows to 3.5 cm.
Not recommended
  • White cloud mountain minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Marbled hatchetfish is tropical.
  • They need different temperatures (24–28 °C vs 14–22 °C). No setting suits both.
Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Marbled hatchetfish only grows to 3.5 cm.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 24–25 °C.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 24 °C.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

272 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓1–10 dGH
Group size ✓10 or more
Temperament ✓Peaceful
Swims at ✓Top
Care level ✓Easy
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 2–3 cm
Growth Slow

Behavior

Peaceful surface schooler.

Food

Floating foods, insects.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Hard to sex; mature females are presumed to be the larger, rounder-bodied fish.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Rarely bred in captivity ·

Not recorded breeding in home aquaria; all fish are wild-caught. Eggs fall to the bottom or onto plants.

Pairing

Adults.

Setup

Planted tank.

What starts it

Unknown.

Eggs

Eggs fall to the bottom or onto plants and hatch after about 36 hours at 25 °C.

Raising the fry

Infusoria.

Common mistakes
  • Jumping
  • Poor water
  • Few fish
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionAmazon basin and the Guianas – Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Guyana & Suriname
Rivers and lakesAmazon, Rio Negro and coastal Guiana rivers
HabitatSurface waters of quiet forest streams
Native rangeAbout 1,500 km across
See it on the world map

The story of the marbled hatchetfish

Its deep, keeled chest holds big pectoral-fin muscles that power a strong jump out of the water, often when startled. True flapping flight is a myth (disproven by Wiest 1995). Needs a lid.

Albert Günther described the marbled hatchetfish in 1864. Its deep, keel-shaped chest holds powerful muscles that let it burst out of the water to escape predators. It has been kept by aquarists for many decades, nearly always as wild-caught fish.

First described by Albert Günther in 1864.

  • It can leap out of the water to escape danger, so tanks need a lid.
  • Its deep 'keel' chest holds strong fin muscles.
  • It feeds on insects at the water surface.

Sources

16 facts checked with sources