# Suitable tank mates for a Severum?



## Jaric

Hello everyone!

So I have a 75 gal that I am intending to redo over the next month or so, and was looking to move away from Africans and into New World Cichlids. After a bit of looking around, decided that as the "centerpiece" if you will, to be a severum (not sure of color yet). Partially because they are visually impressive and also according to many owners, great "wet pets" as well. Plus with being fairly docile, it opens up more options for other tank mates.

However, they're still cichlids so I wanna make sure that everything meshes will together. At least on paper (we all know how the best laid plans can go south quickly)

So what I was thinking of, was a small shoal (5-6) of cory catfishes. Also, the almost obligitory pleco (one of the smaller ones that don't grow to be 15 inch monsters) to help his lazy father with the aglae glass (admit it, you'd rather not scrape algae if you didn't have to either.)

I would also love to have 2 (maybe a pair) Rams as I've kept them before and they are wonderful little fish.

The final group would be another 5-6 fish that would fill out the upper/middle upper portion of the tank. My intitial though was a school of some kind of tetra, but after doing some looking I noticed that Mollies and guppies live in aprox the same region of the world as severums (a pre-req for the tank for me) and I've kept them before, loved them, and had great success with them.

My concerns with having the mollies or guppies are two fold. First, I've always added aquarium salt with my livebearers, and I'm not certain how that would affect the cichlids (that would obviously be a deal breaker) Secondly, several of the other larger cichlids I read about before choosing the severum all seemed to naturally prey on guppies. Now I know that generally Severums are very mild mannered. But at 8-10 inches, I'd prefer not to be stocking my tank with beautiful and semi expensive snacks.

Especially considering that from what I've read, I will already be doing so with the plants that will be in the tank.

So what do you think? Has Jaric epically failed in his research? Or is this just crazy enough to work?


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## HiImSean

it really depends on the severums if it will tolerate small tankmates. i had danios then giant danios. the giant danios did better in my tank smaller regular danios. get the severums small and grow it with the dithers, that may help prevent them from being eaten. i've seen people keeping sevs with larger tetras.


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## Jaric

HiImSean said:


> it really depends on the severums if it will tolerate small tankmates. i had danios then giant danios. the giant danios did better in my tank smaller regular danios. get the severums small and grow it with the dithers, that may help prevent them from being eaten. i've seen people keeping sevs with larger tetras.


Yeah, the plan was not only to introduce the Sev as a juv (2-3 inches), but also to introduce him/her last into a semi established tank with the others

Not sure much a differance that will make, but that was the plan at least.


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## RyanR

Severums do fine with most any other similar sized, not-too-aggressive cichlids. For us, a female black belt works fine in one tank, and a chocolate cichlid is good in the other. As for other severums, two males will not work in a 75g tank. Dwarf acara's (_Laetacara sp._) work fine, too.

We've had one of our severums in a tank treated with aquarium salt in it since about September. It's OK in the long term... though, I think everyone is happier without salt (I recently stopped using salt in here).

We have four green cory cats, and some BN plecos in there. This is an excellent cleanup crew.

As for small tankmates that aren't bottom dwellers, if they'll fit into the severums mouth, the most assuredly will disappear. We lost an entire shoal of red-eyed tetras. We have Columbian tetras now... a much better choice.

-Ryan


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## wiseoldowl

I kept a school of gold barbs with my sevs. until they started spwaning.
really liked them.


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## mithesaint

Not ALL Severums are hungry for their tank mates, but from what I've read on here, most of them are :lol: I have a 7" Rotkeil that hasn't touched a number of smaller tetras in the tank yet. No guarantees that the fish will still be there tomorrow. Personally, I'd avoid pricey guppies with the severum. Murphy's law states that your severum will be hungry.

Bleeding hearts are nice, tall bodied tetras that should be able to handle a severum if you're looking for another dither tetra.


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## HONDO

i have had good luck with a school of large blackskirts.


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