# Dither fish suggestions for Heros Severum



## Tookey (May 14, 2011)

I have a very shy, breeding pair of Heros Severum. We have recently moved them to a bigger tank, furnished with lots of caves, plants and bogwood in the hope that they would come out and show themselves but still no joy.
I have been reading up on dither fish and hope that this will bring them out to say hello but we'd like some advice on what species will go best with them.
They are not very 'foody' fish, having been brought up as gouramis by their previous owners and only fed on flake so am worried about using greedy fish like rosy barbs and danios who might eat all the food we put in before the sevs show interest. More chilled out fish like gouramis might be too slow to get out of the way when there are eggs or fry around. Are harlequins too small? 
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.


----------



## MonteSS (Dec 8, 2008)

Large bodied Tetras work well. Columbian (Red/blue) are my favorite. I also like Buenos Aires, Serpae, Black skirt etc.

Petsmart may still have the $1 tetra salw going on.

Get at least a dozen.


----------



## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

Bleeding Heart tetras.

How large is the new tank?

Severums tend to be omnivorous leading towards a vegetarian diet. You might consider trying to feed them a good brand of algea wafer. These will sink slowish and are compact enough that a school of tetras won't gobble them up before the Severums get a look in.


----------



## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

Your tank size will make a big difference in dither fish recommendation.


----------



## Tookey (May 14, 2011)

yes of course, sorry!
Tank is 4 foot long x 15 inches high and 12 inches wide.
I like serpae tets but are they speedy enough to escape a marauding mum and dad?

Not sure we've got petsmart in the UK but cheers for the advice guys,
Cheers


----------



## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

Tookey said:


> Not sure we've got petsmart in the UK ...


That's not necessarily a bad think mate.

Smart tetras won't get close enough to angry parents. Often a protective parents first charge is more bluff, and intended to scare off fish than cause damage. Smart tetras realise it's safer to find some where to hide or stay at the opposite end of the tank.

I think your tank measurements make your tank a standard US 55 gallon tank. My personal opinion is that it's a bit small of a tank for an adult pair of Severums. I'd be a little iffy about having any dither in there.

A couple of other possible SA fish you might want to consider are one of the headstander species or annostomus species.


----------



## toume (Oct 7, 2010)

If they're shy, I wouldn't get the more active tetras. So no pristella or rummynose. They agitated my blue rams, and did the opposite of what I wanted them to (wanted them to draw the rams out, make them more comfortable).


----------



## Auballagh (Jan 29, 2003)

+1 to all comments by *DeadFishFloating*.


----------



## peathenster (Oct 7, 2008)

According to the dimensions, it's actually a 37.5g tank. Might want to consider a bigger tank for a pair of severums....


----------



## dougrhon (Jun 11, 2010)

I have a school of 12 Buenos Aires Tetras for my severum/blue acara tank.


----------



## ahud (Aug 22, 2009)

I have only kept one species of Sev, but IME they take awhile to calm down. I had mine for at least three months before they begin to settle down. When I first got them I had to sit in front of their tank without moving to see them come out, as soon as I moved they would dash for cover.


----------



## dougrhon (Jun 11, 2010)

ahud said:


> I have only kept one species of Sev, but IME they take awhile to calm down. I had mine for at least three months before they begin to settle down. When I first got them I had to sit in front of their tank without moving to see them come out, as soon as I moved they would dash for cover.


Mine are constantly out and about. I've had the tank since February.


----------



## beaker99 (Apr 15, 2007)

I have kept severums with tin foils bards with great success.  Foils are very fast fish and I haven't seen a cichlid yet that can catch them. Like severum foils love their vegies. I used to throw lettuce in the tank and watched the feeding frenzy. Both the severum and foils love it.


----------

