Fishes / Habitat
The severum has a tall, rounded body similar in shape to a discus, with a warm golden-green base colour and faint vertical banding, particularly visible in younger fish. It comes from the Amazon basin
The severum has a tall, rounded body similar in shape to a discus, with a warm golden-green base colour and faint vertical banding, particularly visible in younger fish. It comes from the Amazon basin and grows considerably larger than its discus-like shape might suggest, reaching around twenty to twenty five centimetres.
Despite its size, it is one of the more genuinely peaceful cichlids covered in this series, making it a reasonable choice for a keeper wanting a large, characterful centrepiece fish without the serious aggression of an Oscar or jewel cichlid.
A single severum or a small group needs a tank of at least two hundred litres, with driftwood, broad-leaved plants and open swimming space. Given its size, strong filtration and regular water changes matter, though it is not quite as messy an eater as the considerably larger Oscar.
It appreciates a mix of open water and some planted or wooded cover to retreat to, echoing its natural slow-water Amazon habitat.
A varied diet of good-quality cichlid pellets, supplemented with occasional live or frozen food and some vegetable matter, suits it well. It is not a fussy eater and takes to a varied diet readily.
It can be kept with other similarly sized, calm fish, including some peaceful catfish and larger tetras, provided tankmates are too large to be seen as food and not aggressive enough to bully a fish that, despite its size, is genuinely mild-mannered.
Article content © Ravi Teja. All rights reserved.
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