Will Marble Hatchet Fish fly out of the tank?

**Max Lim** · 24th Sep 2013, 22:09

Hi guys.. anyone has encountered Marble Hatchet Fish flying out of the tank in the middle of the night? I mean when they are not been interrupted, will they just fly out for fun?

HFish.jpg

**David** · 25th Sep 2013, 01:38

They are very skittish. Especially in near pitch black darkness, just a shadow passing by or a bump by another fish set them off. When one jumps they all jump.

Night light or a cover is highly recommended.

**Urban Aquaria** · 25th Sep 2013, 02:22

Hatchet fish actually jump out of water to catch insects in their natural habitat... their bodies and fins are evolved specifically to do that, apparently they can even steer in the air with their fins, so high chance they will jump anytime.

Definitely need a tank cover with very little gaps when keeping these fishes.

**PKB** · 25th Sep 2013, 10:40

Originally Posted by Max Lim

Hi guys.. anyone has encountered Marble Hatchet Fish flying out of the tank in the middle of the night? I mean when they are not been interrupted, will they just fly out for fun?

HFish.jpg

Confirm jump. Make sure you cover your tank.

**Max Lim** · 25th Sep 2013, 11:54

Bingo!! I got to cover up the top liao.. I was at Y618 just now and I told the boss the same thing as they never cover the tank. The boss said: who make them fly out who will pay for it lor.. :-D.
I bought mine at Sea View, they did fly out when I try to net them.. Now another job for me to cover my tank:-(

**Urban Aquaria** · 25th Sep 2013, 14:05

Usually when i visit the larger LFS like Qian Hu or Seaview, whenever i spot tanks with plastic covers on top, it means those fishes inside are seasoned jumpers too.

**David** · 25th Sep 2013, 14:25

Love the Hatchfishes. Bought 12 years ago. Not one passed a month....

then was the Butterflyfish...did not pass 3 weeks....

**Cashflo** · 14th Oct 2013, 16:03

I can attest to the hatchet fish's excellent jumping skills. Even in a species tank with some plants, low water current and water level 3" below the brim, I still return home to hatchet crispies on the floor. Cover those tanks well if you wish to keep them.

**stormhawk** · 15th Oct 2013, 11:26

David, to keep the Hatchetfish happy you need to give them floating foods. They dislike flakes and stuff and almost always prefer life food, so you need to give them ants or insects like fruit flies. I never keep these because I can never provide them the food they need. By the way, with the Butterfly Fish aka Pantodon buchholzi, just feed them with baby crickets, they love those a lot.

**David** · 15th Oct 2013, 21:28

Stormhawk...not me...but good information...

**Max Lim** · 15th Oct 2013, 22:29

Stormhawk.. Is me.. good information but I gave away the fish to an expert. I found the fish flew out for nothing..

**stormhawk** · 16th Oct 2013, 09:12

They can be spooked by other fish too Max. Not just by sudden movements by humans in the room. The behaviour of fast moving fish like Zebra Danios can spook them to the extent that they will take flight. They regard such movements as threats and will literally launch themselves out of the tank. It is not easy to keep hatchets, firstly because of their dietary requirements and secondly, because of their skittish nature. If you have a thick carpet of floating plants, they may calm down a little, as long as their tankmates are just as calm as they are.