The Banded Leporinus - Omnivore Extraordinaire
Leporinus fasciatus (the Banded Leporinus) suffers from a lack of imagination by those who gave it a common name as fasciatus literally means “banded.” It seems like that common name (and translations there of) are pretty consistent across most the languages where it is known. It's also a fish that is commonly misidentified as a taxonomic study in 1983 indicated that at least ten species in this genus are described as “having color patterns that consist of vertical bars along the body.” Indeed this species may in fact be a species complex.
The Banded Leporinus is very common in the Amazon basin, though its range is much larger; From the Orinco in Brazil to La Plata in Argentina. Non native populations have been found in Hawaii and Florida. It will commonly grow to 6 inches long, and there is a record of a specimen reaching a foot long (see notes above on this species perhaps being a complex) Leporinus is an omnivore, stomach assays of wild specimens have shown them processing algae, vegetable matter, fruits, seeds and a lot of small invertebrates like worms, scuds, small shrimp and insects. Larger specimens will take fish when the opportunity presents itself. They live primarily in rapidly flowing waters though they breed in densely weedy locations. The males will guard the eggs.
In the aquarium, these fish are fairly straight forward to keep. While they are sometimes found in groups in the wild, this arrangement is problematic in captivity unless there is a very large tank and a dozen or more individuals. We suggest keeping them singly and in this arrangement, they are an active and peaceful aquarium inhabitant. Smaller fish could fall prey to them, so we suggest larger peaceful fish as aquarium mates for them. Leporinus prefer slightly acidic water, but will be just fine in neutral pH aquariums. Because of their penchant for faster moving streams, Leporinus do seem to do best in aquariums with a lot of overturn / oxygenation. They are unpicky about décor choices, though they may uproot plants and eat some of them. They are active fish, with a family history of olympic highjumping and thus, a covered tank is a requisite for keeping them alive more than a few days. Leporinus do best on a varied diet and most will greedily take frozen foods like bloodworms and mysis shrimp, some vegetarian based foods like a sinking pellet will round out their diet nicely. In the wild, they will use their sharp teeth to break into snail shells, and so tank cleaning invertebrates could fall prey to the Banded Leporinus (although, they will be a very nutritious addition to their diet).
If you are looking for an active fish for the lower half of your aquarium, that gets sizable but not huge has great looks and is generally peaceful, the Banded Leporinus is a great choice for you. Ask your LFS about getting you one from Aquatropic today!
https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=312