| Small bulging eyes
that searched and stared Orange skin, baby scales deprived of sun Feathery fins, idly swaying with the water In a little bowl, it sat. Alone. It lived. She thought - it lived because it knew not of death She tried to read the eyes Gently, so as not to scare, her hand slipped into the bowl Soft fingers circled the golden life And removed it from the cage An intense kinship with the tiny body in her hand overwhelmed her The fish wiggled and squirmed in pleasure It danced and jumped, thrilled to be touched, to be acknowledged And suddenly, the little body stopped its dancing She felt its heart pulsate against her fingers Rapidly her own heartbeat accelerated Tears of joy trickled down her face She was thrilled by the happiness she gave And then the pumping stopped and the fish lay still staring, limp in her warm hand |
"www.animaldiversity.com." 11 febuary 2004. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. . 11 Feb 2004. <http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html>.
What Are Hatchet Fish?
These
fish like to jump.
Size - Weight:
These fish get up to 2.5 inches (6.5 cm).
Social Behaviors:
They are generally a good community fish.
Sexual Differences:
It is hard to tell, but if viewed from above the
female is fatter.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
Hatchet fish will swim at the top of the
aquarium. Notice how the mouth is at the top of the
body.
Acceptable Water Conditions:
Hardness: 2-15° DGH
Ph: 6.0 to 7.0
Temp: 26-28° C
Breeding/Reproduction:
These fish are egg layers but they have not been successfully bred in
captivity.
Ca
re and feeding:
With their mouth situated up on top of their body you can see they must be
used to eating surface foods such as small vinegar flies and mosquito larvae.
In the aquarium they will generally eat
all kinds of live, fresh and flake foods. To keep a good balance give them a
high quality flake food everyday. Feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen) or
blood worms as a treat.
Distribution:
These fish are found in Brazil and the southern tributaries of the
Amazon. Guyana and Surinam they are found in smaller streams with plenty of
vegetation
How
They Protect Themselves From Predators?
They protect themselves by using their bioluminescence to camouflage in the water so the upper body can look like the ocean and the surface on the bottom can't be seen by anyone.
The Hatchet Fish
lives in Brazil
The Hatchet Fish
doesn't like cold water