Leporinus fasciatus, or something else?

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ShadowBass

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 13, 2007
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Poplar Bluff, MO
We bought this fish at 2 inches long as a fasciatus, and at the time that's what he pretty much looked like.

Well now at between 5-6 inches long he doesn't seem to look exactly like a fasciatus to me. I've seen several pics of adults/juveniles and their bands seem to look a bit different than mine, not to mention a lot darker. His body shape seems a little off too, though maybe that's 'cause he's growing?

What do you guys think? Is this a fasciatus or another type Leporinus?

If need be I can take a still picture from the side, he's just a lot easier to catch on video than a pic.

 
I'd have to say he looks more like a fasciatus than a desmotes. Maybe I'm just a bit thrown off because he keeps changing shape a little bit as he grows.
Perhaps at full maturity he'll take on the standard stripe pattern and body shape of a fasciatus. I've had him for about 8 months now and he's grown around 4 inches. First few months he didn't really grow one bit then suddenly he just got bigger.
First day we got him he killed a 4 inch columbian shark, ripped several of my cories to shreds and killed a couple other fish though I can't remember which kind. (Him and my formerly peaceful anostomus ternetzi tag teamed these fish - weird). The only tank we had available at the time to move him to, where he wouldn't get eaten, was a feeder tank. There he killed the majority of the guppies, and all but one lone danio which remains alive to this day. He lived with it for 3 months, never touched it and hasn't tried to kill any other fish since.
Anyway, juvenile fasciatus are "docile", my ass :ROFL:. I was told there wouldn't be any problems 'til he was bigger.

I have to say he's an extremely interesting fish. He startles sometimes, but he likes to come up the glass and stare at you...he'll do this for an hour (I know because his tank used to be next to our couch and every time I looked there he was, in his cave, staring), rolling his eyes at you suspiciously (you can see it in the video). Kind of disturbing really.
 
No, that is not a fasciatus.

That is a beautiful L. desmotes, and I have had them. Great fish!
 
Hmmm, it seems everyone is split between desmotes and fasciatus.

Does anyone have any good clear pics of some desmotes?
Is there any accurate way to tell them apart, such as finnage # of stripes, etc.?

Darwengray mentioned the desmotes max size at 8 inches, if he gets to the normal max size of a fasciatus (12-14in) can I assume that he's NOT a desmotes?

In one way I'd like him to turn into a nice big fasciatus, but in another way it would be nice if he stayed around 8 inches because he could stay in the 90g with the marbled headstander. They already have some weird dominance behavior towards each other, no actual biting or anything, but at 12-14 inches there would be problems.
 
I'll think he's awesome no matter which one he is :D

Me and my husband have a thing for Anostomidae.

Hmmm, how many places would you hear a comment like that? :screwy:
 
All the desmotes I have seen, and the one I had had the orange throat. You can immediately identify them by the persistent faded gray/tan coloration. That alone should be enough to omit fasciatus from the picture.
 
Yeah, he's never had the deep black stripes that I've seen on fasciatus at least some of the time. Always a greyish/silver.

I wanted to post a couple of pics of him from when he was younger but imageshack is being stupid.:irked:

Also, the yellowish on his throat has only just appeared within the last 2 months or so.
 
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