Banded Leporinus keepers, please step in.

[quikv6]

Mods, please feel free to move this if necessary. There's a broad tips-n-tricks aspect, which is why I put it here.

Looking to hear from anyone who has successfully kept adult Lep Fasciatus in a community environment.

If anyone has, are there any overall tips and tricks that surpressed the infamous reputation they have as pestering nippers all the way to kill-for-sport species.

 

[Deadeye]

Unfortunately there isn’t a lot of great info on this species.
Groups supposedly help.
Mine had been living somewhat peacefully in a 125 with some cichlids for 2.5 years, but this past week decided he didn’t like the convict or Jack Dempsey anymore…
He’s still with a severum and rainbow cichlid that he tolerates (for now).
I picked up 2 more juvie fasciatus to see if it calms him down in the future.
One thing that I’ve noticed is that mine rarely, if ever, attacks fish significantly smaller than itself (as long as they’re not so small as to get eaten) - larger bodied tetras are a good option. Most aggression that I’ve noticed has either been territorial or dominance based - very similar to cichlids in that regard.

 

[quikv6]

Thanks Deadeye ....I was hoping you'd chime in.

I have been caring for a lone Lep at an old workplace for the last 5-6 years. He is 13 years old, and in a 75 gal. (Wehn I discovered him, he was in a 46 bowfront, and severely neglected.) Anyways...his overal health, and what is best for him is my #1 priority. I can't stress that enough. Given that...what would you do here:

Context: I am getting a large tank built, and will be transferring the fish in my 240 to the new tank. (roughly 450g.) I would love to give that Lep a chance to have room to swim, and more stimuli. Risky, in many ways:

-He's old. I really don't want to stress him by moving.
-He is alone. Introducing him to tankmates (SA Cichlids, Bala, Flagtail, etc) could stress him more.
-He can also kill my entire tank....like he did to his a decade ago.

Honestly, what would you do? (knowing his health is my #1 priority)

 

[Deadeye]

Tbh I don’t think these guys ever get stressed by tankmates. My big guy only has one eye and still runs the tank.
I definitely wouldn’t try a bala or flagtail. Maybe it’s just mine, but he has killed several balas - they seem to be threatened by anything that resembles them (and yet they get along fine with any leporinus). I would think they would feel the same about flagtails.
Mine also hates silver dollars. Another theory of mine is that silvery fish seem to bother them. These guys are said to be lepidophagus (scale + fin eaters), so the silvery fish may attract them - but I’m not sure how true that is (mine never seems to want to eat its victims, just torture them). I think it may be a natural defense mechanism since they are found alongside piranha in nature - and I guess the leporinus evolved to kill anything that could potentially kill it first.

Are you able to keep the 240? I think you could get a large group of L. fasciatus, and add some smaller dithers + plecos/catfish. I’ve never really seen or heard of leporinus being severely aggressive to conspecifics - I’m not sure how well it holds up between species though (which is a shame since my lfs has a pretty strawberry lep right now).
Keeping them all together in the 450 is a gamble, but I’m sure that the leporinus will be fine - it’s everyone else you may have to worry about though. You can try a group of banded leps in the larger tank alongside the other fish. There is an old thread on here where that seemed to calm an aggressive lep down - but nothing was posted past the initial meeting so no idea how well it turned out. Of course, the gamble is that you wind up with a shoal of aggressive psychopaths.
thebiggerthebetter has some experience with these guys in larger tanks with more varied tankmates. Iirc they didn’t play nice even in much larger tanks but maybe he can chime in.

 

[quikv6]

Deadeye

Thank you for your input. Yes, I saw Vic's recent videos on the Leps that were nipping fish 10x their size.

I don't want this Lep to ravage my stock, but in the same vain, I also don't want to leave him alone to ride out the rest of his life in a 75g alone. I go there twice a week. It is far and it is expensive, but I am happy to continue to do that if it is best for the Lep. My main concern is that aside from a couple a feedings, the tank really isn't looked after....aside from the 2 hours 2x a week that I am there.

But I am also leery trying him out in the new tank based on the stress of the move. I dunno...I guess I will continue to ponder it. There is a risk either way. Thanks again for the input! Appreciate ya.

 

[Deadeye]

They really are an incredible fish. I don’t know what it is about them but I couldn’t imagine getting rid of mine - even if the tanks would be better off without it.
I have been considering shuffling fish around and making my 75 a leporinus jail - I’ll see how it goes on my end.
Ideally they should be in a 6 foot tank, but as active as they are I’ve also found them to be content spending all day hiding under a rock - it seems to be up to the individual.
Basically I think he’ll be fine in the 75 given the circumstance.
They are snail eaters - you can try dumping a lot of Malaysian trumpets into the tank to give it something to hunt/occupy its time with.