# silver hatchet fish care



## rickwaines (Jan 2, 2011)

So
i do so adore these critters and it also seems that they are the most sensitive creatures in the tank.
Any tips on keeping these healthy?
Specifics are appreciated.
My water params are 0 nitrite 0 ammonia 5 to 10 nitrate gh between 2 and 4 kh around 2 ph 6.8 temp 78. This is where they are generally. I do a 50% water change once a week. 
I have been thinking of breaking it up into 25% twice a week as the water quality inevitably changes a great deal during a 50% water change. I don't mean the fundamental parameters mentioned above as they seem to remain relatively constant but it is a big change of water and I have been wondering how this might affect the hatchets.
Anyhoo, I look forward to your thoughts.
Rick


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## rickwaines (Jan 2, 2011)

PS
a couple of the hatchet fish died from symptoms that perhaps started with a few raised scales and progressed (I'm guessing here) to a fuzzy covering of their bodies. There is no more fuzz but perhaps some slightly raised scales on the hatchets alone and one hatchet got a cloudy eye which seems to have left the one eye permanently blind.
I do water changes directly in the tank with prime. Could this activity be too stressfull for the hatchets in particular? I know it is a commmon practise but I am wondering if it is too much for the hatchets.


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## rickwaines (Jan 2, 2011)

any preventative measures besides proper water changes and good water parameters that people use with fish that are susceptible to infections?


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## onefishtwofish (Apr 21, 2010)

i think the most important thing is to make sure there is no space for them to jump out and they will given any chance


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## JohnnyAppleSnail (May 30, 2010)

I have Silver Hatchets,I really don't do anything out of the ordinary,they are in a Planted Tank,with weekly water changes with aged water and the ph is 7.2.
They eat all flake foods eagerly along w/bloodworms and the occasional brine shrimp.
Even when cycling this tank they were able to handle spikes in the Nitrates ok,they seem to be quite a hardy fish,even though 1 commited Hari Kari and ended on the carpet,it's amazing how they can find the smallest cracks on the surface of the Tank!


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## rickwaines (Jan 2, 2011)

JohnnyAppleSnail said:


> I have Silver Hatchets,I really don't do anything out of the ordinary,they are in a Planted Tank,with weekly water changes with aged water and the ph is 7.2.
> They eat all flake foods eagerly along w/bloodworms and the occasional brine shrimp.
> Even when cycling this tank they were able to handle spikes in the Nitrates ok,they seem to be quite a hardy fish,even though 1 commited Hari Kari and ended on the carpet,it's amazing how they can find the smallest cracks on the surface of the Tank!


no jumpers yet, good to hear yours are hardy. Can't quite figure mine out.


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## crazy72 (Apr 22, 2010)

I don't know how different silver hatchets are from marbled hatchets in terms of care, I've never kept silver ones, but I've kept a fair number of marbled hatchets over the years and I would agree with what others wrote here. I find them hardy and easy, the biggest danger being openings in the top of the tank.


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## jkam (Apr 21, 2010)

is your temp of the water going in about the same when you're doing water changes? That might cause a lot of stress to them if the difference in temp is large.


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## rickwaines (Jan 2, 2011)

jkam said:


> is your temp of the water going in about the same when you're doing water changes? That might cause a lot of stress to them if the difference in temp is large.


it is one of my concerns. The temp in the tank doesn't drop at all but by the end of the water change the water from the tap sometimes runs out and has gone cold. It is usually right near the end but perhaps it is part of the story.


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Rick,

After doing some research, hatchets come from slow flowing waters near forest streams.These streams are also covered in some sort of floating vegetation.Iam only guessing here so dont put me on the spot, but when the water changes are done maybe the drastic changes in their environment causes some sort of stress or disorientation.The temps of water as mentioned already by another member is a secondary cause too.Matching or getting close to the exact temp range is important.I follow this seriously when i do my WC on my discus setup.


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## beaux (Jan 18, 2011)

EThe cloudy eye is or was most likely pop eye, and the raised scales could be a bacterial or viral infection, would be a good idea to read up, look at pictures and figure out just what your dealing with. Some malafix in the tank wont hurt though it helps them heal up and i think it may even help retard the fungus growth, if thats what it is. And a 50% change is ALOT of change in water chemistry, i have had tanks roll over from cleaning them too much, i made them recycle. So now if i clean the filter all i do is top off the tank, if i do a big water change, i just do water, and if i suck the gravel clean, i do only half the tank and do the other half in a week or so. Some fish are alot more sensitive to change than others. Good luck n keep us posted! 
Beaux


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## beaux (Jan 18, 2011)

This crazy phone! Can someone delete one of those please i dont see a button that will let me lol sorry!


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## Byron H (Apr 28, 2010)

By "Silver Hatchet" do you mean the large species, _Gasteropellecus sternicula_? Or the smaller _Carnegiella marthae_? Or the even smaller pygmy hatchet, _Carnegiella myersi_? [The marble is in this latter genus too, Carniegella strigata.] The Carnegiella are the more sensitive species compared to Gasteropellecus, but I've had all species in this genus for many years and I do 50-60% water changes every week and they love it. I can't see this being the problem, unless your tap water parameters are vastly different. Those cited earlier for your tank are "close" to Vancouver tap water and not sufficient to cause any problems--unless you have something odd in your tap water. I'm assuming you are using a conditioner, but may I ask which one?

If you want some help identifying species, here's a link to info on G. sternicula:
Silver Hatchetfish (Gasteropelecus sternicla) Profile

And here to C. marthae:
Black-Winged Hatchetfish (Carnegiella marthae ) Profile

And C. myersi:
Pygmy Hatchetfish (Carnegiella myersi) Profile

I happened to have authored these profiles. C. myersi is by far the most sensitive, indeed one of the most sensitive of all characins, but mine have no issues with major water changes.

Byron.


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## rickwaines (Jan 2, 2011)

Byron H said:


> By "Silver Hatchet" do you mean the large species, _Gasteropellecus sternicula_? Or the smaller _Carnegiella marthae_? Or the even smaller pygmy hatchet, _Carnegiella myersi_? [The marble is in this latter genus too, Carniegella strigata.] The Carnegiella are the more sensitive species compared to Gasteropellecus, but I've had all species in this genus for many years and I do 50-60% water changes every week and they love it. I can't see this being the problem, unless your tap water parameters are vastly different. Those cited earlier for your tank are "close" to Vancouver tap water and not sufficient to cause any problems--unless you have something odd in your tap water. I'm assuming you are using a conditioner, but may I ask which one?
> 
> If you want some help identifying species, here's a link to info on G. sternicula:
> Silver Hatchetfish (Gasteropelecus sternicla) Profile
> ...


Hey Byron

thanks for the links and info.
mine are sternicla.
I use prime. I think it must be a bacterial infection of some kind. Not overwhelming at this point but I would like to get it figured out and gone.
Thanks for your help.

Rick


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## rickwaines (Jan 2, 2011)

*The gang*

Here are a few of the hatchets. I think you can see the affected one third from the right


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