Blackwing hatchetfish - Carnegiella marthae

The Blackwing Hatchetfish (Carnegiella marthae) from Venezuela, South America, is a member of the tetra family. The unusual shape of this fish gave it its name - it has roughly a hatchet shape and quite large, wing-like dark colored, often black pectoral fins. Its base color is silver, and it has a black pattern of lines and dots. In particular, a black line around the body outline is prominent, and the lateral line is also black.

The blackwing hatchetfish is decidedly surface-oriented. With a body length of only 3-4 cm, it is a beautiful small schooling fish for aquariums with a side length of 60 cm or more.

As a tetra, the hatchetfish also likes to live in a shoal and definitely wants to enjoy the company of at least 6 conspecifics. Other small, very peaceful fish can also be socialized very well with this rather shy little tetra, provided the conditions are suitable. Not to large or very rowdy by-fish. With Dwarf shrimps the keeping can work, but here you should choose a robust or well reproducing species or variety. Also Amano shr imps or fan shrimps are a suitable stock, and with Dwarf shrimps the keeping can also work well. Since the Blackwing Hatchetfish primarily resides at the top of the aquarium, the habitats of the crayfish and fish do not really collide.

As a resident of blackwater habitats, the Blackwing Hatchetfish needs soft water and a pH in the more acidic range. In the wild, Carnegiella marthae lives in streams and rivers with dense, overhanging riparian vegetation that is full of leaf litter and driftwood. The water is warm and very acidic, without significant carbonate hardness. The Humic substance content hardness is very high.

The aquarium for the Blackwing Hatchetfish should be well planted, but also have enough free swimming space. A dark substrate gives the fish security, and floating plants provide the necessary shading.  The small fish like to stand under the leaves of these floating plants between the roots hanging down. The addition of autumn leaves and wood is highly recommended, and the water should also be treated with a Humic substance preparation should be treated.

Breeding the Blackwing Hatchetfish has not yet been successful in the aquarium, but should be possible in very acidic, very soft and very clean water. As tetras, Blackwing Hatchetfish probably belong to the free spawners, and a spawning grid should keep the parent fish from spawning. Finest dust foods and later artemiauplia should be suitable for feeding the fry.

Blackwing hatchetfish are carnivores with a strong emphasis on animal foods. In the wild they eat approach foods, small crustaceans and insect larvae. They can be fed live or frozen foods in the aquarium. They are very fond of approach foods such as Drosophila. Flakes for omnivores are not suitable and lead to a shortened life expectancy.

Our food recommendation: NatureHolic Cichfeed is a great staple food for all carnivorous cichlids in the aquarium, perfectly meeting their requirements for food composition. The tasty pearls are also very well eaten by larger cichlids. Thanks to their soft texture, NatureHolic Cichfeed food pearls are gentle on the mouth and can be eaten very well by the fish.

Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planarians and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend for fish keeping the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.

Scope of delivery: 6 fish