Giant Silver Hatchetfish Care Guide - Tank Setup, Diet & Breeding

Giant Silver Hatchetfish are striking, deep-bodied characins with a bright, silvery appearance and an unusually pronounced, hatchet-shaped chest. Their flattened body and enlarged lower profile are adaptations associated with life immediately beneath the water’s surface, where they can appear almost metallic as they move through the light.

Giant Silver Hatchetfish are native to tropical South America, particularly the Amazon and Orinoco drainage regions. They inhabit slow-moving forest streams, flooded areas and quiet marginal waters close to the surface.

A group of Giant Silver Hatchetfish should be given at least 120 litres, with a tank measuring roughly 90 cm long by 40 cm wide or larger to provide open swimming space. Use a secure, tightly fitting lid because these fish can leap when startled. A dark substrate, subdued lighting, floating plants, branches and areas of overhanging vegetation help recreate their shaded surface habitat, while leaving an unobstructed area at the top for swimming and feeding. Gentle water movement and efficient but non-turbulent filtration are appropriate.

Up to approximately 9 cm (3.5 inches) in total length. Females may be slightly larger and noticeably deeper-bodied than males.

In nature, Giant Silver Hatchetfish feed mainly on small insects and other invertebrates taken from the surface. Offer a varied diet of quality floating flakes or micro-pellets supplemented with small frozen or live foods such as mosquito larvae, daphnia, brine shrimp and fruit flies. Food should remain accessible at the surface, where this species naturally feeds.

Giant Silver Hatchetfish are peaceful and work best with similarly calm community species that occupy the middle and lower levels of the aquarium. Suitable companions include peaceful tetras, pencilfish, rasboras, small Corydoras, peaceful dwarf cichlids and other non-aggressive South American community fish. Avoid large predatory fish, boisterous species and fin-nippers, as well as fish that compete aggressively at the surface. They are excellent jumpers, so the aquarium must be securely covered.

Breeding Giant Silver Hatchetfish is uncommon in home aquariums and detailed reports are limited. They are believed to be egg scatterers, releasing eggs among fine-leaved plants or other cover, with no parental care. A separate breeding aquarium with soft, slightly acidic water, subdued lighting and gentle filtration may encourage spawning. Remove the adults after spawning, as the eggs and newly hatched fry can be eaten; the very small fry require appropriately sized live foods.

Females are generally fuller-bodied, particularly when mature and carrying eggs, while males tend to be slimmer. The sexes are otherwise very similar in colour and body pattern, so they can be difficult to distinguish outside breeding condition.