the hedge...

[Magnum Man]

hmmm... looks like my tank...

 

[gimme30]

It looks like your root jungle is keeping them contained!
Funny that she says they're fairly easy to find in the fish trade. 20 years ago they were everywhere but I haven't seen one in ages.
This is making me want to track some down though.....

 

[Magnum Man]

I buy from both these sellers... and they are currently in stock...

Marbled Hatchet (Carnegiella strigata)

A beautifully marked smaller growing hatchet found throughout the Amazon, Negro, and Orinoco rivers as well as the Guyana shield, the Marbled Hatchet has been a popular aquarium fish for decades. In the wild, they tend to inhabit warm, acidic, tannin stained waters and like most of the...

www.aqua-imports.com

my current ones came from Dan's...

https://dansfish.com/product.detail/4533/Characidae-Hatchets-Marbled-Hatchetfish-'Rio-Nanay'-(Carnegiella-strigata)

 

[gimme30]

I can't bring myself to buy fish online. I know, it's dumb, most people don't seem to have any issues doing it. But I like to see them in action, get an idea of their personality, and pick the best of the bunch. I've managed to avoid bringing home any sick fish too, even on the rare occasion when I've purchased fish from one of the big box stores.
Dan's has a great reputation but I swear his packaging must be gold plated. His fish are on the high side too. $10 for a hatchet seems reasonable these days, but it's $8 more than they used to be!
Yeah, I'm old. It sucks.

 

[Innesfan]

So far so good. I have found that the trickiest time is when working in the tank for water changes, netting something out, etc. Keep an eye out.