Add hatchetfish to existing fish stock?
I have 9 Marbled Corydoras, 5 Neon Tetras, 3 juvenile Ancistrus, 2 Reticulated Loaches (Botia lohachata) and 2 Bolivian Rams in my 80 cm (31.5 in.) tank. Therefore, there is rather a lot going on near the bottom - almost too much, quite different from the water surface and the middle water layers (since the Rams also mostly dwell just above the bottom ground). Can I add, for instance, hatchetfish to this community, or would I then hopelessly overstock the aquarium? I do have another 60 cm (23.6 in.) tank into which I could put the Rams, but I do not know if that would go well. What is your opinion about this?
Hello,
a few hatchetfish can be added if the tank is well structured and abundantly planted - however, they are very surface orientated. For the middle zones it is better to increase the Neon Tetra group to 10 - 12 fish.
The aquarium must by all means be covered very carefully when keeping hatchetfish, these fish jump unbelievably well and find even the smallest gaps! Jumps of over a meter (1.1 yd.) are not unlikely even with small specimens!
Best regards
sera GmbH
Dr. Bodo Schnell