How Do Hatchetfish Breed? Detailed Guide to Breeding Methods and Precautions
Hatchetfish do not have gaudy colors, but their peculiar body shape has attracted many ornamental fish enthusiasts. Wild hatchetfish can leap out of the water and glide several meters to escape predators. So how do hatchetfish breed?
1. How Do Hatchetfish Breed
Under natural conditions, hatchetfish reproduce by laying eggs, but the success rate is very low, so some species have been bred artificially, such as the spotted hatchetfish, the coffee hatchetfish, and the marbled hatchetfish.
2. Morphological Characteristics of Hatchetfish
Hatchetfish, also known as hatchet fish or axe fish, are found in Guyana, Peru, Suriname and other countries in the Amazon River basin.
The body length is generally 5-6 cm. The body shape is unique, with a small head, large eyes, and a laterally compressed body. From the head along the back to the caudal peduncle it is relatively flat, the snout points downward, and the belly is very large, curving upward in an arc, shaped like a knife or an axe, hence the name hatchetfish. The main varieties of hatchetfish include the silver hatchetfish, the marbled hatchetfish (cloud-stone hatchetfish), the glass hatchetfish, and the coffee hatchetfish; their habits do not differ much.
3. Precautions for Keeping Hatchetfish
1. Hatchetfish are gentle in temperament, like to move about in the upper layer of the water, and are schooling fish. Because hatchetfish have a strong jumping ability, the aquarium should be covered and placed in a relatively quiet spot, and the lighting is best turned on gradually. The aquarium should be planted with plenty of aquatic plants, such as taro-type plants and Tonina plants. They prefer weakly acidic soft water, and the suitable water temperature is 23-30°C.
2. Hatchetfish have a rather omnivorous diet; they can take small live foods, small insects in the water and on the surface, as well as artificial foods, but because their mouths slant upward and forward, they have difficulty feeding on food at the bottom.
Because hatchetfish have a strong jumping ability, their food is mainly animal-based. Hatchetfish are relatively difficult to breed, and they lay eggs on fine-leaved aquatic plants.