Marbled Hatchetfish

[n3ont3tra]

Hi, I'm looking into getting a group of marbled hatchetfish for my 10g tank. Heavily planted, footprint is 20"x10", and 12.5" tall. I have a tight fitting lid, and I'm wondering if my tank is suitable for a group of about 6 Marbled Hatchetfish. I'm also wondering, do they ever leave the surface? If they do, is it a sign of stress? Could they be kept with shrimp and otos (the only other occupants). My water quality is excellent, PH is neutral, maybe 7.1, I've heard you need acidic water to breed them, but I don't plan on doing that so they will be okay, right? Please help answer my questions,
neon

 

[nmonks]

Marbled hatchets should be fine in this tank. Yes, hatchet fish will swim below the surface, but not much, and usually when chasing each other. When stressed they jump up rather than swim down. They prefer to feed at the top. They would be fine with shrimps and otos. Good water quality is critical with marble hatchets as they are not very hardy. pH 7.1 is fine, just avoid very hard water and pH 7.5 or more. They are difficult to breed. All hatchets are playful fish, so give them space and a reasonable water current. Six is a good number, as they are quite boisterous!

Cheers, Neale

 

[n3ont3tra]

All right, thanks for the info, I'll be buying them, then.

 

[n3ont3tra]

Do you think they will be alright if I buy them from liveaquaria.com?

 

[AR15 guy]

I have 5 in my 29 gallon. But you could keep them in a 10 IMO. They aren't the most active fish and they don't use much space. They tend to mind their own business at the top of the tank also.