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Lipstick Leporinus
Leporinus arcus
A massive, powerful Amazonian colossus (up to 40 cm / 15+ inches) famous for its bright, fire-red 'lipstick' mouth. An unrelenting herbivore and ferocious fin-nipper that requires enormous tanks, bulletproof lids, and monster-fish tankmates.
Class:Actinopteri
Order:Characiformes
Family:Anostomidae
Genus:Leporinus
Species:Leporinus arcus
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Water Temperature
22 - 28 °C
pH Value
6 - 7.5
Water type
Freshwater
Adult size
40 cm
Minimum tank volume
>= 500 L
Minimum group
8
GH
2 - 15 dGH
KH
1 - 7 dKH
TDS
40 - 295 ppm
Conductivity
63 - 461 uS/cm
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Major river systems of the Orinoco (Venezuela, Colombia) and Guianese rivers. Inhabits main river channels, rocky flooded zones, and areas with strong flow, grazing heavily on algae-covered rocks and submerged fruits.
Taxonomy and Morphology: An absolute giant within the Anostomidae family, reaching 35-40 cm (14-16 inches) in captivity. Built like a muscular torpedo for immense swimming power. Features the iconic 'hare-mouth' equipped with sharp, shearing incisor teeth designed to cut vegetation and crush seeds.
Social Behavior: An indefatigable, restless, and dominant swimmer. Constantly patrols the tank, investigating and biting objects. Like the Banded Leporinus, it is a notorious and vicious fin-nipper, easily shredding the fins of slower tankmates. Highly aggressive and intolerant toward its own kind in confined spaces.
Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Subtle but featuring a striking focal point. The body is a metallic olive/gold. Three prominent, large black blotches (or a dashed line) run along the lateral mid-section. Its namesake feature is its mouth: the lips and entire front snout are stained a brilliant, glowing FIRE RED (the 'lipstick'). Unpaired fins are also flushed with intense red/orange.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Aquarium Setup: Exclusively for Jumbo Tanks (MINIMUM 180-200 cm / 6-7 feet length, 200+ gallons). Will eat literally any live plant down to the roots. Scape the tank like a major riverbed: massive smooth boulders, giant driftwood, and sand. IMPORTANT: Driftwood and rocks must be heavy and secure, as a 40-cm Leporinus will violently ram and move light decor looking for food. A HEAVY, INDUSTRIAL-STRENGTH LID is mandatory to contain its massive jumping power.
Diet and Feeding: Voracious Herbivore with omnivorous tendencies. 70-80% of the diet MUST be vegetable matter to prevent fatal bloat. Feed thick slabs of zucchini, broccoli stalks, whole romaine lettuce, and jumbo pond-algae pellets daily. Supplement sparingly with large earthworms or whole shrimp. To tear food, they bite and perform violent 'death-rolls' (like a crocodile).
Water Quality: Extremely hardy. Adapts well to pH 6.0-7.5 and medium hardness. Temp 23-28°C (73-82°F). Given the massive volume of vegetable waste they excrete, industrial filtration and powerful wavemakers (for strong current) are strictly required.
Compatibility and Cohabitation: A strictly 'Monster Fish' species. Will swallow small fish and mercilessly mutilate slow/long-finned fish. House ONLY with large, heavily armored or aggressive tankmates that can stand their ground: Oscars, Pike Cichlids (Crenicichla), massive Geophagus, Arowanas, and jumbo Plecos. Never keep 2 or 3 together: keep either ONE solitary specimen or a massive school (8+) to disperse their lethal internal aggression.
Aquarium Breeding: Impossible in home aquaria.
Risks and Diseases: 1. SEVERE MUTILATION of tankmates' fins. 2. Physical destruction of tank decor, including biting through soft filter tubing/heaters. 3. Shattering lids or jumping out. 4. Fatal intestinal blockages if fed a carnivore (high-protein) diet.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Major river systems of the Orinoco (Venezuela, Colombia) and Guianese rivers. Inhabits main river channels, rocky flooded zones, and areas with strong flow, grazing heavily on algae-covered rocks and submerged fruits.
Origin
Amazon, Orinoco, and Guianas
Fish profile
- Temperament
- No verified data available
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 40 cm
- Sex ratio
- No verified data available
- Feeding frequency
- No verified data available
- Bioload
- High
- Flow
- No verified data available
- Jump risk
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Compatibility & tankmates
- No verified data available
- Tank level
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 40 cm. The FishBase SPECIES table (v25.04 snapshot) source reports a maximum adult measurement of 40 cm for this species, recorded as total length (TL). The taxonomic record consulted is Leporinus arcus (v25.04); male or unsexed record. These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
The single-adult profile is classified as high bioload. The bioload-v2 rubric deterministically assigns this class from the verified maximum length of 40 cm; it is a catalog management category, not a direct measurement of waste output.
Window to the official scientific data of the species
Data synced on: 06/15/2026
Scientific Parameters & Models
- Trophic level
- 2.3 ± 0.1 se
- Resilience
- Medium (1.4 - 4.4 years)
- Phylogenetic uniqueness (PD50)
- 0.5
- Bayesian Length-Weight
- a = 0.01023, b = 3.04
VulnerabilityLow to moderate vulnerability (30 / 100)
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
Related species
Recommendations grouped by close relatives, companion choices, and similar care.
