Banded Leporinus Striatus

The Banded Leporinus Striatus  is undoubtedly the most popular and brightly colored of this group of fish. Its alternating bands of black and yellow are very striking and really make this fish stand out. It is also very large, usually reaching 12 inches (30 cm) in the length in the wild, though in captivity they generally reach only about about 8 inches (20 cm). The size and bold, banded pattern of the Banded Leporinus makes it a very attractive fish in the aquarium.

The scientific name of this characin is curious yet descriptive: Leporinusmeans “rabbit snout” and fasciatus means “banded.” The common names Black-Banded Leporinus and Banded Leporinus also describe its body pattern. The most interesting thing about the patterning of this fish is that as a youngster, it only has 5 black bands. After it is a year old, the first of these bands splits, dividing into 2 bands. Every 6 months after that, another band will split into two. By the time this characin is 3 years old, it will have 10 bands, and its yellow-colored band turn more orangish. You can actually determine the approximate age of this fish by counting its bands.

The Black-Banded Leporinus is a good community fish, but it is very active and should be kept in a large aquarium. Keep the aquarium covered as they are very good jumpers, and can jump long distances. Even though they are usually peaceful, they can be fin nibblers, so choose their tankmates carefully. We have kept them with a wide variety of community fish as well as small cichlids.

An aquarium well suited for this fish has a sandy bottom with pieces of wood and rocks. As long as there is algae growing on the wood and rocks, the Black-Banded Leporinus will swim in a head down position, constantly grazing. If there is no algae, it will nibble on the shoots and leaves of plants.