Gold Severum Tank mates??

kseal

New Fish
Apr 11, 2011
2
0
0
#1
I am looking for some information on the Gold Severum. I have a 56 gallon tank, I know the fish is about 5-7 inches ( I am buying him from a friend) I want to know what kind of tank mates I can put in my new tank with him. He is currently with a ghost knife a group of schooling fish, some plecos and catfish. I really like the blood parrot, convicts, ghost knife,& am also looking for schooling fish, Ruby barb? or tiger barb? I want to know how many and what kind of fish will do best with my new Gold Severum. Please help. I have always had single fish & sort of want a comminuty tank. My last fish was a 8-10 inch Red Devil. Please Help me! Thanks!
 

kseal

New Fish
Apr 11, 2011
2
0
0
#2
New tank with Gold Severum?!!

I have a 56 gallon tank, I will be getting a gold severum from a friend he is about 5-6 inches right now. I am wondering, what if any fish can I keep with him. how many, what species. The whole 9. My last fish was a 8-10 inch Red Devil who lived by himself. I am looking for more of a community tank now. Please help thank you!:D
 

Mar 26, 2011
133
0
0
Malden, MA
#3
Hey kseal,
Saw in your other post you were thinking about a ghost knife fish in there? Don't! They can get to be 20 inches long from what I understand. He would be too big for your 56g even if he were the only fish in there. The Severum is going to get pretty darn big on his own. If you really want the feel of a community tank, I think you will need a bigger space.
 

Last edited:

FroggyFox

Forum Manager
Moderator
May 16, 2003
8,589
10
38
42
Colorado
#4
I merged your two threads kseal. No need to double post a thread in different areas as many people read all of the new threads regardless of where they are started.
 

Cole

Small Fish
Mar 9, 2011
21
0
0
Iowa
#6
From my experience with severums they are best kept in groups. Four is a good number, but at least two. They have a fairly mild temperment and are rarely aggressive unless they are defending they're territory or are in spawn.

Green and gold varieties can be kept together without any issues. If you plan to keep severums be very careful if you plan to add other cichlids (South/Central American) to your tank. Most of the South Americans with eventually push them around if they are close in size or larger.

As far as being a community fish, well, it's rolling the dice a little bit. It depends. I have had severums mixed with silver dollars, bala sharks, pacu, and most bottom feeders.

Keep in mind though, they are a cichlid after all. When it comes down to it, anything that's large enough to fit in they're mouths will probably get plenty of attention from them.

Good Day!
 

nanu156

Large Fish
Mar 8, 2010
745
0
0
Detroit, Mi
#7
Cole is dead on.

I don't know why i see people yammering on about how severums and convicts are "comunity fish" I guess they are if you mean by "comunity" that they don't have to live alone.... but they won't mix well with anything peaceful... Other than plecos.

Convicts btw would be a decent tank mate for sevrums, if your sevrums are of the nicer personality you could go with an electric blue jack, a regular jack would probably be too mean. (e-blues are inbread to be pretty and blue but to get this you generally end up with a wimpy fish)

if you had a fire mouth then you know a but about sa/ca chichlids by now, mostly that sometimes a fish grows up to a be a snot and needs to live alone...

Cole will probably agree with me here that you stand a better chance at keeping things with the sevrum than you did with the fire mouth.

If the fish is a real wimp and you don't mind the hybridization parrots are pretty fun and tend to be mild tempered for sa/ca fish. People have mixed feelings about blood parrots so research them and draw your own conclusion.

commonly available fish that are a definite no are;

oscars
flower horns
green terrors
midus/black nasty
Red devil
fire mouth
 

Cole

Small Fish
Mar 9, 2011
21
0
0
Iowa
#9
Totally agree with nanu on this. You'd have a much easier time keeping other fish with severums as opposed to firemouths. Some cichlids just seem to have that switch and nanu is right....you just never know when one is going to go ape and have to be banished to a tank by itself, or with other meanies.

The peaceful cichlids are more attractive to me at this point because its alot less stress to deal with cichlids that have a better chance of getting along!

Cheers