Have you ever wanted a weird yet wonderful aquatic pet?
Well in this you'll find the most odd and amazing fish that you can keep!
1. Hatchet Fish (Gasteropelecus Sternicla)
Believe it or not this fish can fly at the top of your aquarium, if they have the space. But be careful as without a lid they may just fly out!
Hatchet Fish can grow to around 7cm inside an adequate aquarium but usually stay smaller.
This fish does school and should be keep in a group of at least six. To keep said group, an aquarium of at least 80Litres should be used. Longer aquaria are preferred with these species to allow them to "fly". For this behavior to occur safely a lid and a lowered water level is required.
Most Hatchet fish are docile and this includes this species. Most community friendly fish can be mixed with this fish. But make sure there aren't fish that out compete them for food in the top section of tank.
Flakes are best suited to this fish due to them predominately staying at the top. It is however good to practice a balance diet. This could include feeding live foods and frozen foods that will stay in the top most part of the tank.
Parameters best suited to this fish are as follows. A lower PH from 6.0 to 6.5 in acidity. Their water should also be keep in good health and be in the temperature range of 24 to 28 Degrees Celsius.
2. Wrestling Halfbeak (Dermongnys Pusilla)
This fish is definitely on the weird side with its looks, however this fish is a livebearer and is similar to a common guppy!
They grow to around 6cm with some exceeding that size. Size does depend on sex when dealing with these fish.
Wrestling Halfbeaks like to be in groups. This is either achieved easily with one male to multiple females or a couple of males and a couple of females. For the first option a tank of at least 90Litres is required. Due to potential male aggression the second option will need at least an 150Litre aquarium.
Their aquarium should also have a lid and only contain decorations that are not sharp or quick to inflict damage or this fish's facial appendage.
Most community fish can be kept as tankmates without issue. Just make sure no tankmates will harm the halfbeaks or be harmed by them and that they are not out competed for food.
Flakes, slow sinking pellets and or frozen foods can be used as to cater for their need to feed at the top of the tank. Make sure that the foods used will cater for their omnivorous diet.
To keep them happy a PH from 7.0 to 8.0 should be achieved. Water temperature should also range from 25 to 28 Degrees Celsius. Under the right circumstances this fish may seem hardy, however they can stress easy so getting water quality right is crucial.
3. Blind Cave Tetra (Astyanax Mexicanus)
This is about as odd of a fish as you can get! These teras literally do not have eyeballs due to evolving to their cave habitats.
Blind Cave Tetras grow to a maximum of 14cm but usually remain smaller in aquaria.
They like to be in groups as they still can school together even without seeing each other. Due to their large size this fish requires a aquarium of a least 120Litres for a group of 4-6 fish. This fishes environment should be semi recreated in the aquaria. Low lighting can be used as well as lots of rock and hiding spaces to do this. Make sure rock and décor is not sharp.
With this lack of sight comes other methods of getting to know where they are. This is commonly in the form of biting or nipping other fish. With this knowledge and their larger size only robust catfish such as Corydoras and Pleco should be kept with them.
Flake foods and other slow sinking pellets can be used when feeding this fish.
A PH of 6.5 to 7.5 should be reached as to keep these fish in good health. Temperature should also be kept from 20 to 25 Degrees Celsius.
4. Paruguay Eartheater (Geophagus Balzanii)
Want a fish that is full of behavior but has is odd in a beautiful type of way? Well this Geophagus is just that!
Geophagus Balzanii grow to a maximum size of around 15cm. Some specimens have been reported to grow larger but it isn't common.
This fish can be kept singularly, in pairs or in groups consisting of one males to at least four females. A single fish can be housed in a aquarium of around 150Litres. The tank size for a pair of these fish is around 180Litres whilst a group should be kept in nothing less than a 200Litre.
Your substrate choice when keeping this fish should be sand. There is no argument that these fish do love and benefit hugely from a sand substrate. This is due to there scavenging methods that consist of them sifting through the sand in their mouth. Other substrate is either to big or will become dangerous when these fish attempt this behavior.
They are classed as semi aggressive so for middle and top section swimmers only bulky cichlids of the same nature like Severums are an option. For bottom dwellers robust catfish like plecos of a bigger size are best suited.
Cichlid pellets as well as frozen foods are desirably used when feeding this fish. Not only is this due to their omnivorous diet but their mouth placement and feeding habits.
To keep this fish active and healthy a PH of 6.5 to 7.5 should be kept stably. A temperature of 22 to 26 Degrees Celsius should be achieved.
5. Ropefish (Erpetoichthys Calabaricus)
Now this fish is truly special its body shape is a rarity in the aquarium hobby and most surprisingly it isn't an eel or snake and is truly a fish!
These fish grow up to 60cm in length. However, they usually remain much smaller, so a monster fish tank isn't required as such.
Rope fish are best kept alone as to avoid aggression that can occur when grouped. For a single fish a tank of at least 200Litres is needed. This will allow them plenty of space to swim.
This fish does like to burrow so loose substrates are best when keeping this. Making sure there are plenty of hiding spaces is also key but make sure no décor is sharp as their bodies are open to puncture easily.
Tankmates for these guys can really be anything that isn't small enough to be eaten and isn't aggressive, as to not hurt them.
Regarding parameters a PH of 7.0 to 8.0 is needed to keep this fish healthy. They water temperature should also be kept from 24 to 28 Degrees Celsius.
