From Aqua Guide, the free encyclopedia
Green Severum
Heros efasciatus
- Temperature
- 22–29 °C
- pH
- 5.5 – 7
- Min. tank size
- 300 L
- Lifespan
- 8-12 years
- Diet
- omnivore
- Care level
- moderate
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name: | Heros efasciatus |
| Family: | Cichlidae |
| Origin: | South America (Amazon basin) |
| Care Characteristics | |
| Care Level: | moderate |
| Diet: | omnivore |
| Max Size: | 30.00 cm |
| Water Type: | freshwater |
| Temp Group: | tropical |
| Temperament: | semi aggressive |
| Min Group: | 2+ together |
| Varieties: | The species is normally sold in the standard green variety and also gold. The green severum is the wild-type form — an olive-green to brown fish with dark vertical barring and, in mature males, the squiggled markings across the gill covers. The gold severum is a xanthic strain, yellow-orange with the barring much reduced. Red-spotted, turquoise and various other selections circulate, mostly line-bred from the gold. The gold strain has a practical drawback: the gill-cover markings used to sex the fish are far less visible against a pale body. Taxonomy is worth a note. Fish traded as severums are usually Heros efasciatus, while the name Heros severus properly belongs to a different, less commonly kept species — so older books and shop labels use both names for what is generally the same fish. Several other Heros species and locality forms reach specialist keepers under collection names, and they hybridise readily with the commercial stock. |
| Lifespan: | 8-12 years |
Quick Tips
- Bioload:High
- Min Tank:300 L
- Substrate:Sand; driftwood and sturdy decor; robust or plastic plants
- Plant Safe:Not reliably plant-safe (eats/uproots soft plants)
- Filtration:High (large, messy fish)
Green Severum (Heros efasciatus) is a species of fish in the family Cichlidae. It is native to South America (Amazon basin). The severum is a big, mild, disc-shaped cichlid that gets called the poor man's discus and deserves better than that. It reaches 300 mm standard length, comes from the Amazon basin, and is described by specialists as generally mild-mannered for its size, suitable for a community of large, peaceful species. There is one qualification worth knowing before buying a single fish as a centrepiece. Some individuals can develop a nasty streak as they mature when maintained singly — and that is almost always preventable by keeping them with their own kind. That inverts the usual advice for a large cichlid. Here, a group is the calming arrangement rather than the risky one. Its parental care is also unusual: pairs spawn on flat stones, both parents guard the eggs, and both parents will mouthbrood the fry.
Compatibility
- Temperament
- semi aggressive
- Keep in
- Groups of 2+
- Swims
- middle
- Fin nipper
- No
- Delicate fins
- No
Species similar to Green Severum
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