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I received some fish today that were simply on the list as "Catalina Tetra", and I can't find anything on them online. Has anyone heard of them? They appear to be some sort of Hatchetfish, and they have huge black wings with a white blotch on them (for displaying maybe?).

I got six, but one of them died after I introduced it to the tank (it's a tank at work). The others appear to be doing fine, but I haven't gotten them to eat yet.









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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

They could be from Santa Catalina Island (in california)

I'm pretty familiar with my own state's native fishes, and I can assure you they are not.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Those are very nice fish, I've seen them before. The scientific name is something along the lines of Triportheus rotundatus, Fishbase page [link=here]http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=13248&genusname=Triportheus&speciesname=rotundatus" style="COLOR: #808080[/link]. Online sources indicate that they grow to five or six inches.

I made a thread about them almost a year ago, and BruceMoomaw provided me with some helpful information.
[link=http://fishprofiles.com/files/forums/Tetra%20Talk/52270.html]http://fishprofiles.com/files/forums/Tetra%20Talk/52270.html" style="COLOR: #808080[/link]

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Lol. Santa Catalina tetras.

They look quite interesting & maybe they'll be more colourful when they settle.


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Hmm. Interesting.

Nearest match I could find (and it was incorrect for reasons I'll give shortly) was Chalcinus elongatus from the old Innes book.

The basic shape of the fish is similar, as is the large pectoral and the unpaired fin arrangement. One BIG difference however, that rules out Chalcinus elongatus, is this. Chalcinus elongatus has a tail which possesses a solid dark stripe running horizontally through the central rays, which are extended in both sexes to a pint shaped protrusion, somewhat resembling the caudal fin extension on male Congo Tetras. This is absent in your fish at the moment, so ... hmm, nice puzzle.

However, having just written this, I am now anticipating being told by Sirbooks that Triportheus elongatus is the new name for my fish, and that it WILL develop the caudal extension as it grows! If so, then you have a real rarity, and one that will eventually hit 5 inches in length. Oh, and those wing like pectorals should be heeded as a major warning that it's likely to be every bit as jet-propelled as true Hatchet Fishes when it comes to aerobatics!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

According to Fishbase, the genus Chalcinus has now become Triportheus. This means that the fish you were talking about is indeed now Triportheus. However, it looks like this species differs from Natalie's in that both the dorsal and caudal fin each appear to have at least some black, and the body shape for Triportheus elongatus just looks off to me. I would say that despite the lack of Triportheus rotundatus pictures on the Web, that is still the species illustrated by the photos here. This is backed up by the fact that the "black-winged hatchetfish" (Triportheus rotundatus) is more common in 'Net sources, and can be found for sale at least occasionally. Odds say that Triportheus elongatus is too rarely encountered in the hobby to be the fish in question.

I did find some extra data on the Triportheus genus [link=here]http://www.amazonian-fish.co.uk/indexchar.html" style="COLOR: #808080[/link].

"The members of this genus are adapted for life close to the water surface. They generally feed off the surface collecting small insects, pollen and a wide range of vegetable matter. When frightened they are able to make their escape by rising above the surface like a hydrofoil on their deep keels and rowing themselves along with their powerful pectoral fins. There are three Amazonian species which are all abundant in floodplain lakes, Triportheus albus, Triportheus angulatus, and Triportheus elongatus. Any visitor during a boat trip in a white water lake will see one of these species."

Hydrofoil, eh? That's pretty cool.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Hydrofoil Tetras?

How come no one gave them that name?

That would add to their popularity

Oh, and that Amazonian fishes site has been bookmarked - excellent find Sirbooks!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002