Marbled hatchetfish

The marbled hatchetfish is a small characin in the family Gasteropelecidae, native to the Amazon basin of South America. It inhabits slow, shaded blackwater streams and flooded forest margins. It has a deep, keel-like chest and flat back giving a hatchet-shaped profile, with a marbled brown and cream pattern along the flanks. Its enlarged pectoral muscles allow it to leap and skim across the water surface to escape danger. It is a peaceful, surface-dwelling shoaling fish that should be kept in a group of at least six. It needs a tightly covered tank, as it readily jumps, along with soft, slightly acidic water, gentle flow, and floating plants for cover. It feeds at the surface on small insects and accepts floating flakes, small live, and frozen foods. Best in a calm community; suited to intermediate keepers.