Order Characiformes
Family Anostomidae
Genus Leporinus
In nature, Leporinus species stay close to the shore, near patches of vegetation, occasionally venturing into open areas. All Leporinus fish are characterized by an elongated cigar-shaped body, a tiny mouth relative to the torso with a slightly protruding lower jaw. Their movements are slow. In a calm environment, they resemble hovering airships. However, their low mobility is combined with high maneuverability, and catching them is not so easy. The name Leporinus is of French origin, meaning “little hare”, because they have two visible front teeth like a rabbit. Fish adapt easily to aquariums, but become smaller in the absence of space.
Keeping Leporinus is easy; they feel equally well in soft and hard water, with acidic and slightly alkaline reactions, at a temperature of 22-32°C. Their favorite food is young shoots of aquatic vegetation. Leporinus are hardy fish, resistant to diseases. However, once sick, they react very poorly to dye treatments (even in half doses). Various species of Leporinus are sold in stores, but they grow very fast and become too large for standard aquariums. Leporinus look very impressive in large aquariums, alongside large fish of various shapes. They live for 10-15 years.
— Lipstick Leporinus — Leporinus arcus [Eigenmann, 1912]. Guyana, Venezuela, upper Amazon. 25-30 cm. The pale yellow body of this streamlined fish is crossed by a series of equidistant longitudinal stripes. They run along the entire body, from the front end to the caudal peduncle. The middle stripe, passing through the eye, is usually darker than the ones located above it. The mouth is small, lips are pinkish-orange. With yellow and reddish fins. They maintain an inclined posture.
They develop a social hierarchy; similarly sized fish will fight each other for dominance. Once the hierarchy is established, the fish live in relative harmony with each other. Quarrelsome, they get along only with large active neighbors, and show aggressiveness from the fry stage. South American cichlids are suitable tank mates. Adequate space in the aquarium is most important.
Large driftwood and twisted roots are used in the design. They destroy plants. Lighting should be strong to encourage algae growth. The use of powerful filters to create a strong current and high oxygen levels. Unpretentious in food, they accept all aquarium foods in the tank. They live up to 6 years. pH 6.5-8.0; dH up to 20°; T 20-30°C.
— Leporinus desmotes [Fowler, 1914]. South America. 18 cm. Several dingy-black stripes encircle the body, starting from its front end and reaching the caudal peduncle. The main body color is yellowish-white. A small amount of the base color is visible in the center of the three middle stripes. Adult females are rounder than males.
Smaller fish will be eaten. They can also be aggressive with conspecifics. The substrate should consist of sand with some large smooth stones on which algae will grow. Algae growth should be encouraged. An aquarium with a tight lid is necessary, otherwise this fish will jump out. Water flow should be fairly strong. pH 6.0-7.2; dH 6-18°; T 22-26°C.
— Banded Leporinus, Black Banded Leporinus — Leporinus fasciatus [Bloch, 1794]. Synonym: Leporinus novemfasciatus. Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, Amazon, Orinoco, Paraná rivers. 30 cm, in the aquarium about 20 cm. Large, brightly colored fish. Elongated and thin, with large eyes and a small head. The body resembles a cylinder tapering towards the tail, allowing it to swim very quickly. The tail is deeply forked.
The body features 9-10 contrasting alternating transverse stripes of bright black and yellow color. The first is located on the forehead and between the eyes, and the last at the base of the tail. Sometimes there are orange markings on the fish’s head and caudal fin. Large developed fins are transparent, with a grayish sheen. The mouth is equipped with powerful lips that perfectly scrape off even algae.
Males are slimmer and brighter than females. In addition, their adipose fin is slightly colored. The female is fuller, with an orange throat. The tail is deeply branched and transparent. Juveniles differ in color from adult fish: the black bands are wider, and the general background of the body is whitish-beige. The body of juveniles is not as elongated, a small ventral keel is clearly visible. In youth, they have only 5 black bands.
Starting from one year of age, the first of these groups breaks down, dividing into two groups. Then every six months another group will split into two parts. By three years of age, it will have ten yellow or orange stripes. Thus, the approximate age of this fish can be determined by the number of stripes.
3 subspecies are known: — L. fasciatus fasciatus. Inhabits the Orinoco and La Plata rivers. Has 10 transverse stripes. 25 cm; — L. fasciatus affinis. Venezuela and Brazil. Has 9 stripes. 20 cm; — L. fasciatus holostictus. Has 7-8 stripes.
The fish is too large for a small aquarium. Hierarchical division of the group is characteristic even at early stages of development; in a confined space, the fight is much fiercer. In the presence of overly active neighbors, they hide in plant thickets most of the time. Most of the time, the fish swim head down.
This is due to the fact that in their natural habitat, fish swim in coastal areas of water bodies heavily overgrown with plants in search of food, and it is easiest to do this precisely in a vertical position. When frightened, the fish instantly assume a horizontal position, masking among plants, and carefully examine the bottom in search of food.
They need large aquariums covered on top (fish are jumpy), with driftwood, stones, and only very tough plants. Completely non-aggressive towards other species, although small fish may be eaten; however, they are not suitable for keeping in a heavily planted aquarium. This herbivorous fish quickly causes serious damage to aquarium vegetation.
Likes strong water circulation, sandy substrate, prefers middle and lower water layers. A highly efficient water filter and enhanced aeration are required. When keeping these fish, especially adults, it must be taken into account that they react very acutely to water temperature drops (even by 1-2°C) and changes in acidity. With sharp changes in water parameters, the fish begin to dart around the aquarium.
Therefore, water changes are usually performed no more than once or twice a month in very small quantities. If these requirements are not met, when replacing water in the aquarium with water of a different temperature, the fish begin to swim rapidly around the aquarium, hitting all obstacles in it, which very often leads to their death.
In nature, Leporinus feed mainly on young shoots of aquatic vegetation and only a minor part of the diet consists of small mosquito larvae, worms, and other small creatures, so plant matter should always be present in the aquarium. Food: frozen greens, lettuce leaves, boiled peas, flake and pellet dry foods with a predominance of plant ingredients.
Sexual maturity is reached at 2-3 years. Life span is about 10 years. Not the best choice for beginners. dH up to 12°; pH 6.0-7.0; T 22-28°C.
— Threespot Leporinus — Leporinus friderici [Bloch, 1794]. Synonym: Leporinus spilopleura. Amazon River basin. 35 cm. Young fish have an elongated body shape; with age, the back becomes higher. On the pale brownish body, several scales with dark edges are visible, creating an overall speckled pattern.
There are 3-4 dark oval spots on the flanks, and smaller spots may appear between them. Vague vertical stripes run along the body, and another stripe is noticeable between the eye and the mouth. During the breeding season, the belly and pectoral fins of males are reddish. Young fish are light gray with a silvery sheen, fins are colorless. As they grow, they darken and lose their silvery color, and the fins turn dark gray.
Aquarium of at least 300 liters. Shelters among rocky crevices made of stones and wood are necessary. Plastic or hard-leaved plants are used for aquascaping, otherwise they will be eaten. They swim mainly in the lower part of the aquarium head down. While young, they can be kept in a community aquarium, but they grow fast, and adults become quite aggressive, even towards conspecifics. Small fish will be eaten.
Substrate should be sand or fine gravel. Strong lighting to promote the growth of algae, which they feed on. They are accustomed to a strong current, so using a powerful filter is recommended. Herbivorous, fed algae, lettuce leaves, watercress, peas or spinach, crustaceans, aquatic insects, worms, and even fruits can be used as a supplement. Some of them also accept plant flakes and pellets. They live up to 10 years. pH 5.5-7.5; dH 2-15°; T 22-28°C.
Identification: Genus Leporinus — Leporinus arcus, fasciatus, friderici.
Leporinus maculates, nigrotaeniatus, octofasciatus, pellegrinii, striatus.
Anostomus anostomus, ternetzi. 
