# Leporinus fasciatus



## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

-IN PROGRESS-
Name:*Leporinus*, or *Banded Headstander*
Scientific name:_Leporinus fasciatus_
( LEP-oh-RYE-nus fas-see-AY-tuss ) ="rabbit-nosed, banded"
DISTRIBUTION- Wide distrubution in northern South American Amazon basin, from Guianas to the La Plata, especially in Orinoco drainage.
HABITAT- Slow-moving streams typical of amazon basin. Leaf litter, murky, tannic, and muddy.
SIZE- to 13 inches ( 33 cm ) Typically smaller in captivity, around 6 in.
TANK SIZE- Large tanks are best, 125 gallons, as this fish not only grows very large and needs a lot of space, it is also a very social fish which should be kept in groups.
DIET- Largely vegetarian, but omnivorous. Ravenous devourer of plants. Decorative plants in the tank should be artificial unless the fish is fed very well on greenstuff like lettuce & spinach & spirulina, and even then it will still probably nibble on any live plants in the tank. In captivity it will eat many standard fishfoods, but these should be supplemented with the forementioned greens. Algae eater. They will also kill and eat fishes much smaller than themselves.
TANK ZONE- A headstander which typically hovers within the bottom one-third of the tank, in a nose-down position. The longer the fish, the taller the tank should be.
TEMPERAMENT- When kept in groups and provided with hiding places, a relatively peaceful fish usually harmless to tankmates, although fish with long flowing fins may be attacked if those fins look leafy. A social fish which should be kept in at least a small group of 4-5 fish of similar size. Solitary fish are very aggressive to tankmates. Large fish are also very aggressive. This may be related to sexual maturity; young specimens are peaceful while mature ones are not. Specimens of dissimilar size should not be housed together, as the smaller one(s) will be attacked by larger ones seeking to establish dominance. Despite any amount of fighting they may do during the day, they all sleep together peacefully at night.
CHEMISTRY: pH- 6.4-7.2 (6.6-7.0 best) hardness- very low; soft water under 10 degrees GH, 2 degrees KH, even softer for spawning.
TEMPERATURE- around 25C, 74-78F
PHOTOPEROID- Equatorial. 12 hours of light per day.
Seasonal changes negligible.
SENSITIVITES- None. Very tolerant of wide shifts in all parameters, and tolerant of therapeutic drugs & minerals. Has been known to survive things like jumping into an adjacent saltwater tank and remaining undiscovered all night.
HARDINESS & LIFESPAN- Very hardy. Lifespan unknown, but specimens have routinely lived for nearly a decade in aquaria.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION- Torpedolike body with pointed snout. Typically a vivid yellow or yellowish cream with usually 10 vertical black bands. Younger fish have fewer bands, but these bands split as the fish ages.
SEXES- The males have a reddish "throat & chin" area, and are more slender than the females.
ACTIVITY PEAK- Diurnal
HABITS- A social fish which lives in groups. Normally peaceful, but solitary fish become very aggressive. Slow & sluggish, this fish drifts around in a head-down position, grazing on plants and algae. However, this fish is capable of astounding leaps, and moreover is rather prone to making them in an uncovered tank.
SPAWNING- Not well known. Other species in this family can be spawned by hormone injection, but not since 1952 has it occured naturally in an aquarium.
It may well be that the sheer size of the adults prohibits spawning in aquaria. Like most fishes from it's native area, it probably spawns after heavy rains reduce the hardness & temperature a couple of degrees each.
OTHER NOTES- This fish requires hiding places to feel secure. Given hiding places like rock caves or rootballs, the fish will be a peaceful member of a carefully planned community. Without hiding places it becomes very hostile.


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## Guest (Aug 29, 2005)

are temperment and tank mate information going to be included in the profiles?

edit: nevermind.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Well, that should give an idea of what a profile should look like, minus the picture.

This one, by the way, is still "In Progress," so if you have anything to add, feel free to add your info.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Does anyone have any pictures of this fish?


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## sonofbreeder (Jul 17, 2005)

this is it right?


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Yep, that's the one.
Is this your picture or did you find it someplace else?


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## flamingo (Nov 5, 2005)

I've had these before, I may have a pic so i'll look if you want me to..most likely my cousin who has my old will have like 100 of them so may be able to get him to let me use one.

The one that I had always had "periods". Certain months it was fine and ate well, others it would go crazy and attack everything and have short anorexia spells. lol.

For the tank size I would keep it around 65 gallons. Mine was almost fully grown and it was doing fine, but of course that was only one and the tank was 48 inches long. I would say 80 if you have a group.

These fish are definitely not something you just buy because it's cute and put it into your community, tankmates and all obviously need to be planned a bit before anything. Petsmart usually has these and they are an inch long, very cute but grow fast and can be aggressive at times.

THey also remind me of chickens, my old one used to have a yellow pointy mouth so that's probably why. lol


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

I have a pic, hold on


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