Triportheus angulatus
Dusky Narrow Hatchetfish
Classification
Characidae
Distribution
Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia and Argentina.
Habitat
Inhabits river channels where it can be seen swimming in shoals above sandy substrates.
Maximum Standard Length
6.6″ (16.5cm).
Aquarium SizeTop ↑
48″ x 12″ x 12″ (120cm x 30cm x 30cm) – 110 litres.
Maintenance
Surface area is more important than depth as it needs a lot of swimming space and will be found just under the water surface most of the time. Some floating vegetation will help to make it less skittish, and the water should be well oxygenated. Make sure the tank is very well covered as it can leap surprising distances.
Water Conditions
Temperature: 72-86°F (22-30°C)
pH: 5.0-7.5, depending on locality.
Hardness: 0-20°H
Diet
Omnivorous in nature; feeding on most things that drop onto the water surface such as insects, fruits, nuts and seeds. In the aquarium it proves unfussy and will accept most live, frozen and dried foods. Bear in mind that generally it will only feed from the surface.
Behaviour and CompatibilityTop ↑
A peaceful species, but its adult size and active nature may disturb much smaller or quieter tankmates. It makes a good shoaling species for communities of South American cichlids such as Geophagus and Satanoperca species, and also does well with other similarly-sized characins and catfish. It’s a shoaling species by nature and should always be kept in a group.
Sexual Dimorphism
Unknown.
Reproduction
Not thought to have been achieved in aquaria.
NotesTop ↑
An attractive but not often seen species in the hobby. This is quite odd considering how common it is in many of its native habitats, where it is known as sardina. It has very strong pectoral muscles, and uses these to jump from the water to catch flying insects or to escape potential predators. It can make leaps of several metres in length.
October 19th, 2014 at 11:38 am
One of the coolest fish I have kept but sadly very hard to find. I have only seen them for sale twice in the past 25+ years or so and bought them both times. Mix well with all community fish and are especially nice schooling with African tetras like Congos or Alestes.
June 5th, 2019 at 8:45 pm
I have a group of 12 of these in their extremely awesome fish. They’re very active but not aggressive towards other fish and they eat actively. They seem to have fangs or barbells or something when they’re stressed; that protrude from their mouth upward-like fangs actually, but I can’t find any information on this. Most of the time I can’t see these protrusions from their mouth.
June 5th, 2019 at 11:04 pm
I found an answer to the previous comment I made. This fish has the ability to extend otherwise hidden barbels to direct surface water in low oxygenated water to assist in breathing…. somehow. I read this in a scientific report on the fish.