Need tank mate recommendations for adult Severum

[mossman]

I have a single adult Severum (orange shoulder?) in my 65 gallon along with two Geophagus Tapajos. He often chases them around, but so far hasn't harmed either of them. Although he did kill two of my adult SAEs. I had to move the third to a different tank. The tank is pretty bare with only three fish, and I'd like to add a few more, but am concerned he will harass them if much smaller than he is. What do you guys recommend? I suppose I could sell him if need be in order to get more compatible fish. I'd really like some more activity in the tank. Thanks.

 

[TClare]

Ideally you could have more Geophagus to form a group and not allow the severum to target any one of them. The trouble is I think the tank will be too small for a group of Geophagus as they mature. It’s on the small side for a full grown severum too to be honest. You might be better to get a group of larger tetras such as Colombian or diamond tetras. In a larger tank there would be several other possible options.

 

[mossman]

Ideally you could have more Geophagus to form a group and not allow the severum to target any one of them. The trouble is I think the tank will be too small for a group of Geophagus as they mature. It’s on the small side for a full grown severum too to be honest. You might be better to get a group of larger tetras such as Colombian or diamond tetras. In a larger tank there would be several other possible options.

I'm not a big fan of tetras honestly. What other species can I add?

Kind of annoyed how most of the articles online boast about how peaceful and non-aggressive Severum are. Mine is serial stalker and killer.

FYI, it's a custom 65 gal, so it's actually the same length as a 75 gallon (48").

 

[A201]

The tank is still a bit small, but for added activity you might consider adding Spotted Silver Dollars. Although technically a Tetra, they project quite a different look as compared to the numerous small, common Tetras.
The Spotted SD's are one of the smaller varieties & a four foot tank might just barely work out for a group of four or five.
Here's a pic of one I once kept.

 

[mossman]

Honestly, I'll probably just sell the Severum and get a few more Redheads, SAEs and a school of Congo Tetras or similar. I got the Severum as a centerpiece fish a year ago but didn't know he'd be so territorial, and I'm not going to let a single fish dictate my stocking.

 

[TClare]

You would probably find that with a group of schooling fish the severum is less likely to hunt down or persecute any particular individual and more likely to ignore them. It might be worth a try before getting rid of the severum.

 

[mossman]

I may try that first. I don't love the idea of potentially sacrificing fish, but I would like to keep the Severum if at all possible. Maybe I'll add a group of five or six Congos and see how it goes.

 

[chromedome52]

The Rotkiel, or Orange Shoulder, tends to be a little more aggressive than most of the Heros species. It also doesn't get as large, though not by much. You probably have a male, and they tend to be more territorial. Females usually are the peaceful ones. There are 5 described species of Heros and at least two undescribed, the Rotkiel being one of those. Some experts place it with the common efasciatus, but that is still being debated.

I don't believe in keeping "centerpiece" fish, as that suggests that they are just decorations rather than living things - but that's just me. I'd remove the Heros and add 2 more Geophagus pyrocephalus. Four isn't an ideal group, but it's better than two, and appropriate for that size tank.

 

[mossman]

A general question on tank size:

I often get the "your tank isn't large enough" comment for certain fish. Although I see tanks on YouTube that aren't a great deal larger with 40+ cichlids in them. I take it the issue is not as much an overstocking one but rather providing enough swimming area for fish to swim?

 

[TClare]

A general question on tank size:

I often get the "your tank isn't large enough" comment for certain fish. Although I see tanks on YouTube that aren't a great deal larger with 40+ cichlids in them. I take it the issue is not as much an overstocking one but rather providing enough swimming area for fish to swim?

Correct. Fish like Geophagus use the bottom of the tank mainly, so for them the depth and volume are not as important as the footprint. Ideally a 4t tank is too short for a group of Geophagus, even the Tapajos, which are one of the smaller species, can reach 20cm (8"), so a mature group will take up a lot of that bottom space and if they are too cramped there are more likely to be aggression issues than in a more spacious setting. The very heavily stocked cichlid tanks you mention may be for some of the rift lake species that are highly aggressive, in this case overstocking prevents serious aggression to an extent at least. But, yes, overstocking as far as bioload goes can be dealt with with efficient filtration systems and frequent water changes, but may cause stress for large fish that need more space. For a while, when they were still quite small, I had a severum and some festivums (Mesonauta) in a 240l tank (approx 64 gallon and 120cm or 4ft long), I now have them in a much larger tank and they are much bigger, imagining them back in the smaller tank there would be very little space for them.

 

[mossman]

Makes sense. My largest geo is only about 5" and the other is about 4" and I've had them for at least four years. Pretty sure they're done growing.

Prior to adding the Severum, I had a school of 12 Cardinal tetras, but he murdered them one by one as a juvenile. I had thought of adding a couple more geos, selling the Severum, then getting a large school. I'd really like more activity without having to deal with constant aggression. I had to sell two angels last year because they constantly fought with each other. I sold one initially, but them the other started harassing the geos so he had to go too.

 

[TClare]

Well yes, cichlids can be complicated, but you could try that as chromosome52 suggested. I would not have tried cardinal tetras with a severum, only bigger, deeper bodied species. I am not sure about the Geophagus, but would probably put bigger tetra species with them as well to be on the safe side..

 

[mossman]

The geos are pretty docile. I had baby SAEs and Corydora in that tank at one time and they never bothered them. They just want to constantly sift sand
One of the geos has some fin damage now (as of today) and the other is getting picked on by both the larger geo and the Severum. ****. Moving the smaller geo to my other tank for now. I'm selling this Severum jerk.

 

[mossman]

If I add a school of juvenile tetra (Congo or similar size), you don't think the Severum will kill them off before they are able to grow? Or is the idea if I have a large group of tetra (6?) that the Severum won't be able to harass them because they stay in a group more or less?

 

[mossman]

I rehomed the geo that was getting picked on relentlessly by both the Severum and his fellow geo, but he didn't survive overnight. So now I'm down to two fish. I don't care to get more geos at this point. I've been wanting to convert this tank to a planted tank for a while, and the geos made that impossible due to the inert sand substrate and constant digging.

 

[TClare]

That is the problem with having three Geophagus, one will almost inevitably be picked on, that is why it is best to keep them in a bigger group, but your tank is too small for that really. Unless you are talking high tech with CO2 etc., you can definitely have a planted tank with an inert sand substrate, no problem, but the geos would be a problem, yes, unless you only have epiphytes. And the severum would probably eat all the the plants. If you want to stick with cichlids there are plenty of options that would work in a planted 65 gallon tank.

 

[mossman]

I think I'll take a break from Cichlids and get a large group of Zebra Danios, Congo Tetras, rummy nose tetras or similar and a bunch of Cory's and SAEs. I've had good experiences with all of these. And since my tank is apparently "small", I guess I'll just get more smaller fish to fill the volume.

 

[Littlebudda]

A general question on tank size:

I often get the "your tank isn't large enough" comment for certain fish. Although I see tanks on YouTube that aren't a great deal larger with 40+ cichlids in them. I take it the issue is not as much an overstocking one but rather providing enough swimming area for fish to swim?

One other thing when watching you tube people are looking for views financially etc. what’s better to look at a properly stocked tank with 15-20 fish or this amazing colourful tank with 60+ fish wether it’s good for the fish or not always setup like that it gets views

 

[mossman]

How about 100 neon tetra? . Kind of joking, but I think that would look amazing.

 

[TClare]

It would, yes!