The Banded Leporinus (Leporinus fasciatus)

The muscular, streamlined body of the Banded Leporinus (Leporinus fasciatus) makes it one of the most powerful and agile swimmers in the fish world, and, even in an entirely bare aquarium, this can be a difficult species to capture within a net. For this reason, it can be a perfect fish to add alongside more-aggressive tankmates, providing a spectacular splash of color and movement.

Leporinus is huge genus with nearly 80 species to its name, though only this one species tends to be seen with any regularity in the aquarium trade. It’s closest relatives are a couple of familiar aquarium groups, the Abramites and Anostomus Headstanders, and all of these are cousins to the diverse tetra family of South America. Like those fishes, the Banded Leporinus naturally occurs in large shoals, but, in the close confines of an aquarium, this rowdy and rambunctious species can often become belligerent towards its kind and is thus best kept singly.

The diet of the Banded Leporinus includes a mix of invertebrates, as well as algae and plants. Because of this herbivorous tendency, adding one to a planted aquarium can often result in some nibbled leaves, so due caution is advised. With a maximum size reaching just under a foot in length, this is obviously a fish that needs some room to swim, so a tank measuring at least 6 feet in long is a good minimum recommendation for an adult specimen. For a natural look, try mixing this species with other South American groups like the Geophagus Eartheaters, the Crenicichla Pike Cichlids, any of the armored catfishes from the regions, and perhaps a group of larger tetras, such as Silver Dollars (Metynnis).