Spotted leporinus

Leporinus granti

Also known as Grant's leporinus

FreshwaterFish

Spotted leporinus (Leporinus granti) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–81°F (22–27°C)
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 7.9 in (20 cm)
Minimum tank: 70 gal (265 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Tankmates: Tankmates with caution
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Guiana Shield rivers of Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana
Family: Anostomidae

Overview

The spotted leporinus is a busy, robust characin that grazes almost constantly, rasping algae and biofilm from wood and rock in the lower and middle water. It is social and can be kept alone or in a group, but it is a well-known fin-nipper and plant grazer, so keep it with sturdy, active tankmates, avoid soft plants, and treat small or long-finned fish with caution. Feed a varied omnivore diet with plenty of vegetable matter alongside sinking pellets, wafers, and frozen foods. It reaches about 20 centimeters, so allow around 265 liters or more, and fit a very tight lid, as this fish jumps well.

In the wild

This species lives in the rocky, flowing rivers of the Guiana Shield across Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, grazing over stone in oxygen-rich current. Give it strong flow, smooth rocks and driftwood, a sand floor, and clean water. Keep temperatures around 22 to 27 C and the pH from soft and acidic to neutral, roughly 5.5 to 7.5.

Good to know

A member of the headstander family Anostomidae, it reaches about 20 centimeters and is patterned with rounded dark spots on a brassy body. The genus name Leporinus means little hare, a reference to the enlarged pair of front teeth that recall a rabbit. Aquarium breeding is not recorded.

Did you know

The species is named after William Grant, described by the ichthyologist Carl Eigenmann as his most capable field guide during a 1908 collecting expedition in what is now Guyana.