the hedge...

[Magnum Man]

I'm trying an expirement... I have a small shoal of marble hatchets coming for my south American Tetra tank... I always say this tank is highly shaded, which it is, part of that shade is made up of peace lilies that line the sides, and grow to the ceiling, and the lights are attached to the ceiling, except for the front of the tank, being built in, has wall from the tank to the ceiling... the peace lilies being lush, and thick if a fish leaped, even 12 inches out of the water, I think they would drop back into the tank... so while this is an open topped tank, in essence it's really a "naturally covered" tank... if they don't immediately wiggle their way to the floor, and I honestly don't think they will, I'll give them a proper size shoal by ordering another small group... wish me luck...

I don't usually take pictures of more than a tank, but this one shows the front of the tank, to the ceiling, the back has the peace lilies growing to the ceiling... the left side, above the tank is the weak link, as that end is just covered with pothos vines ( which is not as thick / lush as the peace lilies, so I may place a piece of plexiglass covering that end, if one finds a hole... the right side is completely covered by a row of lucky bamboo, in the tank next to it...

this is the right side... open from the tetra tank, but fully fenced by the tight row of lucky bamboo in the hillstream tank next to it...

the thick pothos roots in the tetra tank limit the clear space for a mighty leap...

the back side... really the only open space, is above the hang on tank filters, and some barrier could be placed on the covers of the filters if needed...

 

[Magnum Man]

4 hatchets away... took 5 minutes, and they all found each other, with only curious harassment from the tetras... 3 visible in this picture

 

[AJ356]

4 hatchets away... took 5 minutes, and they all found each other, with only curious harassment from the tetras... 3 visible in this pictureView attachment 374112

That would have made a good competition.... how many hatchets can you spot....

 

[Magnum Man]

they camo easily in the roots...

 

[Magnum Man]

hatchets look totally at home this morning, and maybe in the way dither fish work for some, they seem to be drawing some of the tetras higher up in the tank...

 

[gimme30]

Wishing you luck here. My natural skepticism thinks they're going to find a way out but hopefully that won't be the case for you.
Once they got used to me mine would occasionally make the leap. I think they learned it from the butterflies I kept with them who would launch themselves out the second the hood was opened.

 

[Magnum Man]

I know some fish are more prone to leap, and have had leaping fish, in the past, some quite large ( think 25 inch arrowanna )... but part of me wonders, that if the conditions were "perfect", would the fish be leaping all the time??? these seem to like all the roots at the surface, and they seem secure, with one or two patrolling the center of the tank, that is more open, as the roots tend to be around the edges mostly... I've gone to great lengths to try to make this tank as natural as possible, I'm enjoying watching them... I've not had hatchets, since I was a kid...

 

[Magnum Man]

as camo as they are, they can still be picked out from across the room, against the backlit tank... one in the center top of this picture... best viewed by clicking the picture, then the plus sign...

 

[Magnum Man]

it's been a year, since I've cleaned this glass, and with no real bio film eaters, it's starting to show in some of the pictures... oh, well.... once a year is not too often to clean the glass I guess...

 

[gimme30]

but part of me wonders, that if the conditions were "perfect", would the fish be leaping all the time???

That would seem to make sense wouldn't it? I dunno, fish all seem to have that 'deer in the headlights' look, who knows what's going on inside their little heads.

 

[Magnum Man]

all 4 hatchets easily visible in a group at the top... no leapers yet...

 

[Magnum Man]

hatchets have the ability to stay motionless, while in current... similar to a bird of prey, riding the wind currents, just hovering... this picture is over zoomed, so you can see them, they have colored up from shipping, but they still blend in well... the hedge is either working, or the "natural" tank appeals to them enough, to at least reduce the urge to leap, as they are all going on a day and a half in an "open" topped tank

 

[Magnum Man]

this picture same time, but not zoomed as much...

 

[Magnum Man]

... and here is all 4

pictures not loading, I'll try later

 

[Magnum Man]

I'm up this morning, before the tank lights begin coming on... so I get to watch the hatchets wake up... most of the tetras go to the bottom in the darkness, but the hatchets remain on the top... us, I see all 4 at 1st crack of light...

I'm betting video's of wild hatchets would be cool to see...