# 75 gallon Severum set up



## dougrhon (Jun 11, 2010)

I am setting up a new 75 gallon tank and the following is what I am thinking:

A breeding pair of heros severus
A breeding pair of blue acara

6-8 silver dollars.

Does this sound ok? Please keep in mind that the severum are actual heros severus (according to the website I will be purchasing from, Blue Grass Aquatics) which are supposed to be smaller than the more common species usually referred to as Severum.

In order to get the breeding pair, I plan to purchase five of each, wait for a pair and then re-home the rest.

Does this sound ok? Is there space for anything else like a pleco or some other solitary bottom dweller? Thanks.


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## adam79 (Jun 27, 2007)

I may be wrong, but I don't think there is much difference in size between Heros efasciatus and Heros severus.

If your objective is to breed the sevs or acara, I think you would be best off keeping the pairs alone in their own tanks. Any additional fish will increase the likelyhood that the eggs/fry will be consumed.

If you aren't concerned about successful breeding and just want a nice community, I still think your tank sounds a little cramped. Silver dollars grow around 6 inches, so 6-8 of them on-top of the cichlids will overstock your tank. I like silver dollars as a dither in 6 foot plus tanks. Maybe look at some smaller species like columbians, bleeding hearts or buenos aires.


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## dougrhon (Jun 11, 2010)

adam79 said:


> I may be wrong, but I don't think there is much difference in size between Heros efasciatus and Heros severus.
> 
> If your objective is to breed the sevs or acara, I think you would be best off keeping the pairs alone in their own tanks. Any additional fish will increase the likelyhood that the eggs/fry will be consumed.
> 
> If you aren't concerned about successful breeding and just want a nice community, I still think your tank sounds a little cramped. Silver dollars grow around 6 inches, so 6-8 of them on-top of the cichlids will overstock your tank. I like silver dollars as a dither in 6 foot plus tanks. Maybe look at some smaller species like columbians, bleeding hearts or buenos aires.


Thanks for the quick response. My goal is not to produce fry to necessarily survive to adult hood. I would just like to experience parental behavior of the cichlids. If the some or all of the eggs end up eaten I don't care but it would be interesting to see the fish attempting to protect the eggs and then the fry. The reason I zeroed in on the silver dollars is because my understanding is that the Severum will eat or attempt to eat any fish small enough for them to eat. Perhaps the max for the silver dollars would be 6.


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## adam79 (Jun 27, 2007)

Severums will most likely try to eat any fish that will fit in its mouth. The tetras I mentioned above are wide bodied species that won't. A lot of people keep these species as well as some others with sevs. There is the occasional phyco sev, usually the males who, will just kill other fish, but chances are it should work fine. I have kept 2 of the 3 tetras I mentioned with sevs in the past. I've done a lot of experimenting with dithers for sevs. I've even kept some smaller slender-bodies tetras for short periods. There are plenty of options(Red eyes, barb sp., serpaes, ect.). I just think silver dollars are too big and active for a 4 foot tank. If you are dead set on SD's I would say3-4.


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## dougrhon (Jun 11, 2010)

adam79 said:


> Severums will most likely try to eat any fish that will fit in its mouth. The tetras I mentioned above are wide bodied species that won't. A lot of people keep these species as well as some others with sevs. There is the occasional phyco sev, usually the males who, will just kill other fish, but chances are it should work fine. I have kept 2 of the 3 tetras I mentioned with sevs in the past. I've done a lot of experimenting with dithers for sevs. I've even kept some smaller slender-bodies tetras for short periods. There are plenty of options(Red eyes, barb sp., serpaes, ect.). I just think silver dollars are too big and active for a 4 foot tank. If you are dead set on SD's I would say3-4.


I will re-think because everything I read says that 3-4 is insufficient for silver dollars. That 6 would be the minimum.


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## adam79 (Jun 27, 2007)

Tht's were I'm going with this, 3-4 is insufficient for schooling fish(but doable), but a larger school would be too much in a 4 foot tank, IMO.


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## dougrhon (Jun 11, 2010)

I'm thinking Buenos Aires Tetras. They seem to be the largest of the possible tetras. Could I get 10-12? If so is there any room in the tank for some sort of lone bottom dweller. I know I don't have room for a school of cats.


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## dougrhon (Jun 11, 2010)

Do me a favor and give me a list of dither fish that you are certain will not be eaten by the severum and will be successful with them. Then I can choose the one I like the best. I am not only doing this as a dither but also to give the tank some more flash and movement.


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## adam79 (Jun 27, 2007)

Nothing is for certain. You could end up with an overly aggressive/intolerant severum, but it is a little rare. I've always kept Heros efasciatus and can't say for sure when it comes to Heros severus. If it were me, I would go with a pair of rotkeil sevs. IMO, the are the most beautiful and tend to be more mild mannered.

As for dithers: I think Columbians or Bleeding Hearts are the best options for a few reasons. A: They are large and have deep bodies, so chance of them ending up a snack is rare. 
B: They are from South American, so if you are a purist...
C: They have great color.

I've seen a lot of tanks with sevs and these species. In fact there is a video with earth eaters, sevs, and bleeding hearts recently posted on this forum. It's a beautiful set-up.

Other SA species that may work:
-Buenos Aires tetra
-Black skirt tetra
-Discus Tetra

Non-SA species:
Congo Tetra
Tiger barbs

There are many more that could work, but these are some good choices.

If I were to start a 75 gallon with a pair of sevs, this would be my stock.

- 1 pair Rotkeil Sevs
- 10-12 bleeding hearts
- 1 pair Bolivians or Laetacara
- 6 Sterbai corydoras
- 1 pecktolia sp.

Hope this helps. :thumb:


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## dougrhon (Jun 11, 2010)

I am leaning towards the Columbians because I think they seem more attractive. Can you explain what that last one on your list is? I assume you mean a pair of Bolivian Rams. I have to say I have my heart absolutely set on the Blue Acara. Of course I am going to be purchasing unsexed juveniles so I will be getting five of the cichlids, waiting for a pair to form and rehoming the rest. If I go with 10-12 Columbians the pair of Blue Acara, the pair of Severum what else if anything would fit in the tank? And do you think the Tetras would be sufficient to provide nice movement for a tank of this size?


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## adam79 (Jun 27, 2007)

I actually made a spelling error. Peckoltia are a genus in the loricariidae family( Pleco's). They stay smaller, look nice and are decent algae eaters. I imagine you could substitute the blue acara for the Bolivians and stock the same. Once everything grows to it's max size, your tank may seem a little cramped, but I think it's fine. You can always adjust down the road. I think a group of cordoras make a nice addition to SA setups. They are active, display interesting social behavior and are good at snooping around the sub-strate, cleaning up bits of food. Sterbai are attractive, get a bit larger than a lot of other species and are more tolerant of warmer temps. I have never kept Columbians, but I don't think they are the most active when it comes to tetras. Buenos Aires would better serve you for that purpose or if you go non-SA tiger barbs are really active.


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## dougrhon (Jun 11, 2010)

I spoke to Eddie Martin of Blue Grass Aquatics and he recommends the Buenos Aires tetras. He says they are active and attractive but not so attractive they would detract from the Cichlids which are the centerpiece of the tank.


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## adam79 (Jun 27, 2007)

:thumb:


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