# Gold Severum Tank Mates



## mc12345 (Jan 2, 2021)

I have changed my mind several times as to what I want to stock my 75 gallon tank with. I recently saw a gold severum in a LFS and fell in love. Don't think I'll officially be happy until the fish are actually in the tank. I was wondering if the following stock would work?

- 1 gold severum
- 3-4 bolivian rams
- 8-10 congo or columbian tetras (or other tetras if you have better recommendations)
- 2 gouramis (maybe blue or pearl)

I know that I am limited with a 75 gal, but I am buying all of these fish as juveniles. If some end up growing out of the tank later on, I have no problem finding another home for them. I just don't want the tank to look so vacant when all of the fish are bought significantly smaller than their max size. If anyone has any other recommendations that would be great.

Also, in what order should I be adding each fish to the tank? Ex. tetras first, gouramis second, bolivian rams and severum third...


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## fishguy1978 (Aug 10, 2018)

I would not add the gouramis as they are not S.A. but other wise looks good. Not adding the gouramis is just personal preference and would work.


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## mc12345 (Jan 2, 2021)

fishguy1978 said:


> I would not add the gouramis as they are not S.A. but other wise looks good. Not adding the gouramis is just personal preference and would work.


Is there anything else I could add to the tank to make it look a little fuller in place of the gouramis? Even better if it is something that could be kept long term (and not be rehomed in the future).


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## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

C'mon now... resist the urge to stuff the tank! Properly set up New World aquariums are NOT visually represented by the same levels of chasing, nipping, fighting and other endless activities of the typical African Rift lake aquarium! :roll: 
I mean, if you need that (And I'm not knocking it, Mbuna-based aquariums are indeed, extremely popular), you may need to set up an African Rift Lake tank, if you don't already have one. I did it - and the comparison with my New World aquariums, was fascinating. And yes, a 150G Mbuna-Flurry 'Rock Pile' tank provides a LOT of visual, OMG!!! But over time, I personally found that I just really liked and preferred the more peaceful 'vibe' of my (also large) New World tanks.
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So, I'm going with 'fishguy1978' and his recommendations for no Gourami's in this tank. Many supposedly peaceful, New World cichlids seem to delight in antagonizing Gourami's for some reason (The Severum is no exception in this). A larger, more grown-out Blue Gourami may be handle the aggression of your Severum. But Pearls? Ummmm, no.... those poor things are just gonna get crushed, man.
I like your Tetra stocking plan. In the New World tank, they 'typically' provide most of the obvious visual movement for the tank. At least for the casual, initial look. For a little character, you may want to consider stocking with a cool species of Mid-size Pleco. A Cactus Pleco would be a good choice (Unfortunately, $$$$), but I believe a Rhino Pleco should work out well in this tank. 8)


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## mc12345 (Jan 2, 2021)

Auballagh said:


> So, I'm going with 'fishguy1978' and his recommendations for no Gourami's in this tank. Many supposedly peaceful, New World cichlids seem to delight in antagonizing Gourami's for some reason (The Severum is no exception in this). A larger, more grown-out Blue Gourami may be handle the aggression of your Severum. But Pearls? Ummmm, no.... those poor things are just gonna get crushed, man.
> I like your Tetra stocking plan. In the New World tank, they 'typically' provide most of the obvious visual movement for the tank. At least for the casual, initial look. For a little character, you may want to consider stocking with a cool species of Mid-size Pleco. A Cactus Pleco would be a good choice (Unfortunately, $$$$), but I believe a Rhino Pleco should work out well in this tank. 8)


I only asked because I had read somewhere that certain gouramis make good tankmates with severums. I have also read other accounts of people successfully keeping them together. If they won't get along, I won't risk it. As for the plecos, would 2 bushynose plecos (or bristlenose pleco) be okay since they only get up to 5 inches. The originate from SA too. If that is too much for the tank, then I probably won't bother. My main concern is really the severum, congo tetras and bolivian rams. Maybe I'll get the plecos at a later date once I have the tank and other fish established.

Btw 'Auballagh', you helped me previously with a stocking with keyholes and bolivian rams, which I have obviously changed my mind about, but just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to help. And thank you 'fishguy1978' for letting me know that gouramis won't be a great fit. Finally got the tank stand and can start cycling the tank so I can't change my mind again about what I want to fill it with lol.


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## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

I wouldn't stock with the smaller sized Bristlenose Plecos for this tank. If placed in the more peaceful Bolivians and Keyhole cichlid stocking scheme? Sure! A Severum however, could be a bit unreliable in safely keeping with those smaller, pretty active Plecos. I personally wouldn't trust it. But, an individually stocked, mid-sized growing Cactus or Rhino Pleco, should do just fine in that tank with the Severum (Rhino Plecos like to chow down on algae also).


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## W8INLINE (Jul 10, 2020)

How about a blue acara instead of the gouramis


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## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

Yes, to placing a single Blue Acara in with the Bolivian Rams. a single Severum and those Tetras. 
But, that means....
- No Gouramis
- No Mid-Sized Pleco
C'mon now, it's a 75 gallon aquarium. Easy to over-stock - so, DON'T stuff the tank! :roll:


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## fishguy1978 (Aug 10, 2018)

I have BNP in most of my tanks, including my severum tanks. The sev's ignore the adult BNP. Now, that being said, I do have a breeding pair in the 220g and trio in the 120 and the sev's eat the fry. The male in the 220 dug a cave under the large rock so there is no way to pull the fry anyway. I noticed the green/turquoise sev trying to get into that area and that is when I discovered the new fry. My male in the 120 has a cave in the end of the large log and I have pulled a batch of fry off of him. I'm overrun with BNP fry at the moment in my grow tanks.


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## mc12345 (Jan 2, 2021)

Auballagh said:


> Yes, to placing a single Blue Acara in with the Bolivian Rams. a single Severum and those Tetras.
> But, that means....
> - No Gouramis
> - No Mid-Sized Pleco
> C'mon now, it's a 75 gallon aquarium. Easy to over-stock - so, DON'T stuff the tank! :roll:


So my plan as of right now is to get a gold severum, 12 congo tetras and 4 Bolivian rams. I fear that adding the blue acara may be too much. If I were to get 8 congo tetras with the 4 Bolivian rams and the severum, would the blue acara still be too much (even with an aquaclear 110 and eheim 2217 running)? I've been so busy setting up this dang tank that I havent been checking for replies. Again... I dont want to overstock but now that someone mentioned a blue acara it's got my gears turning again lol.


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## mc12345 (Jan 2, 2021)

I could also do colombian tetras (avg. of 2.6") or another type instead of the congos (avg. of 3"). I have found that the temp range for congo tetras is a little lower than that of the bolivian rams and severums which could potentially cause some discomfort on their part. Also, the colombian tetras are more readily available compared to the congo tetras. I have to have the congos delivered, but a local pet supplies plus and another LFS has columbians so it may be more cost efficient too.


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## mc12345 (Jan 2, 2021)

ncm13579 said:


> I could also do colombian tetras (avg. of 2.6") or another type instead of the congos (avg. of 3"). I have found that the temp range for congo tetras is a little lower than that of the bolivian rams and severums which could potentially cause some discomfort on their part. Also, the colombian tetras are more readily available compared to the congo tetras. I have to have the congos delivered, but a local pet supplies plus and another LFS has columbians so it may be more cost efficient too.


I also messed around with that aqadvisor website to figure out what is doable in a tank my size. According to them, having 8 colombian tetras, 1 blue acara (not electric), 1 gold severum, and 4 bolivian rams will have the tank stocked at 86% once they are fully grown (with the use of the aquaclear 110 and eheim 2217 in the 75 g tank). To clarify, it also suggests a temp between 75.2 and 78.8 F, pH between 6 and 7.5 and hardness range between 1 and 15 dH.


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## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

Looks good to me, and I like the Colombian Tetras as a better choice over the Congos.
Be advised, the 'Aquadviser' thing is all about filtration capacity and bio-load. Which is a good thing to know, but will provide little to no help for you when stocking with cichlids. Territory establishment, spawning protection and in some cases, the pugnacity and meanness of the species make things a lot more challenging in setting up things in an aquarium when New World (or African Riverine) cichlids are involved. Good times!


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## mc12345 (Jan 2, 2021)

Auballagh said:


> Looks good to me, and I like the Colombian Tetras as a better choice over the Congos.
> Be advised, the 'Aquadviser' thing is all about filtration capacity and bio-load. Which is a good thing to know, but will provide little to no help for you when stocking with cichlids. Territory establishment, spawning protection and in some cases, the pugnacity and meanness of the species make things a lot more challenging in setting up things in an aquarium when New World (or African Riverine) cichlids are involved. Good times!


Do you have any advice as to what order I should add the fish? I unfortunately have to add the severum first because my LFS will only hold him until Saturday. I plan on quarantining each for at least 2 weeks before adding to the tank. 
1. Gold Severum (Red Spotted) - [and blue acara?]
2. Colombian Tetras
3. Bolivian Rams
4. Blue Acara

I don't want to add them all at once and I also only have a set up to do 2 quarantines at a time. Don't want to overload the tank either as it is still establishing the beneficial bacteria during the cycle.


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## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

In setting up a community tank with Cichlids in it, it's always better to stock first with smaller-fast things that may look like food to your Cichlids.
Next, place smaller. more peaceful (?) Cichlid species in.
Then... always save for last, the known meanest, most pugnacious Cichlid customers you plan to stock the tank with. 8)


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## mc12345 (Jan 2, 2021)

Auballagh said:


> In setting up a community tank with Cichlids in it, it's always better to stock first with smaller-fast things that may look like food to your Cichlids.
> Next, place smaller. more peaceful (?) Cichlid species in.
> Then... always save for last, the known meanest, most pugnacious Cichlid customers you plan to stock the tank with. 8)


Unfortunately I have to add the severum first. The LFS had 2 last week, one medium gold severum and one large red spotted gold severum. When I went in again today, they had sold the medium one, so I put down half the payment so they could hold the red spotted gold severum long enough until my quarantine tank is setup. I'll try to add the large school of tetras after that and try to pick some of the larger ones they have to offer. Hopefully there is enough cover between the driftwood and caves I have in there so that they can avoid each other. Wish this was planned better, but I had a few setbacks, which delayed the whole setup of this tank . I'll add the bolivian rams after the tetras and the blue acara last.


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## mc12345 (Jan 2, 2021)

Auballagh said:


> In setting up a community tank with Cichlids in it, it's always better to stock first with smaller-fast things that may look like food to your Cichlids.
> Next, place smaller. more peaceful (?) Cichlid species in.
> Then... always save for last, the known meanest, most pugnacious Cichlid customers you plan to stock the tank with. 8)


I was able to add the tetras first but will still add the severum next. He is currently quarantining so he won't be added for at least another week. The tank is a work in progress but it's getting there. Still have to add some anubias and sword plants and I have another log/cave structure to add.


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