# Red Severum Aggression



## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

I have a fully mature red severum in my 150 gallon tank that I have raised from 2.5" to over 6". Even as a youngster he had shown some aggressive tendencies, mostly towards my silver dollars. Most disconcertingly, his attacks are sometimes focused on the eye region.

I have a full grown geophagus altifrons that suddenly had this massive wound around his eye area which I thought had been a festering infection that I had somehow not noticed. This fish soon died. I recently purchased some juvenile altifrons online, and one of them got a devastating wound and lost an eye. He seems to be recovering in another tank.

I haven't witnessed the attacks on the geophagus, but I'm assuming that the red severum is at fault since the only other fish in the tank are an uaru (very large and docile), a turquoise severum (very shy), silver dollars, angelfish, and striped raphael catfish.

Has anyone else experienced behavior like this from a severum?


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## rafini (Mar 20, 2014)

Severums are peaceful by new world cichlid standards but they are still more aggressive than say a lot of Geo species.

I have had several types over the years. I had an F1 Rotkeil severum that shared a tank with a very mellow FH I grew out, some snakeskin gouramis, dwarf cichlids and panchax. The severum and the FH ignored all the smaller less aggressive fish. The FH was obviously moved when he hit a certain size but the severum was nothing but mild.

I had 3 white severums (very very light gold sevs) one of them got popeye and never recovered shortly after I brought them home, one of them was very mild mannered and the other one was an absolute hellraiser, extremely territorial and aggressive would even bang at the glass to try and attack your fingers.

In general they are non aggressive species but there are always exceptions to the rule. think of Oscars, they are by most standards peaceful but some can be really nasty to tankmates.


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## Ape-Fish (Jul 1, 2006)

I have a super red, that will not attack fingers, but if you put your face very close to the glass and open your mouth, it will come over and bite at the glass. If i put a small net in the tank it will attack it (great for if i ever need to move it). It knows when i am looking at it, from anywhere in the room, and reacts by getting excited and moving towards me and/or flaring his fins.


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## mambee (Apr 13, 2003)

A fellow forum member with a tank of severums will be adopting my fish next week.


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