# Is this really a severum??



## artemisblossom (Dec 2, 2008)

Today at Petsmart I seen a little 2 inch fish that was a solid green brown grey color. It had no stripes or spots and the fins were the same color also. It was shaped sort of like a dwarf gouramis minus the long feelers of course. I was told it was a turquoise severum....I have never seen a baby severum so I am wondering if this is really what it was. The clerk didn't seem very sure of himself and first told me it was a midais (it was written midais on the tank) then he said no wait the midais ate all its tankmates so we moved it and restocked the tank with just turquoise severum. I would like to buy it if it really is a turquoise severum as they are very hard to find in my area and I have been looking for severums, but I can't seem to find pictures of severum fry. I checked out what he said was the baby midais and it looked very much like the severums except it seemed to have a more curved spine.


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## mithesaint (Oct 31, 2006)

pics would help a lot.

Depending on the age, I think that severums are generally taller bodied than most gouramis that I've ever kept. The petsmarts around me usually don't carry severums, but they usually don't carry Midas either, so...

Any good LFS? I'd start there. At least you would know what you're getting.


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## Joels fish (Nov 17, 2007)

Pet smart is anything but smart when it comes to their fish, so you'd probably never get a good answer from them .

All the Severums juvies that I've ever seen for sale looked like Severums only smaller and not nearly as colorfull . Even at small sizes that they are typically sold at in pet stores they have the distinctive Sev shape. If it doesn't look like a Sev then it's probably not one.


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## SinisterKisses (Feb 24, 2004)

Baby severums are striped, unless they're golds.


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## artemisblossom (Dec 2, 2008)

I am picking them up tonight after work and will take pics right away. I am going to talk to the manager to make sure I can take them back if they are not severums.


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## Mobius1230 (Sep 22, 2008)

my guess is no


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## remarkosmoc (Oct 19, 2005)

I agree with the others, doesn't sound like one. Baby green sevs have quite obvious striping.


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

heres a pic of a small sev without extremely evident stripes, so i wouldnt imagine it would take much to miss these stripes with a quick look in a fish store.


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## MetalHead06351 (Oct 3, 2007)

From what you described, it sounds like a petsmart severum. I would look up heros severus if I were you. The petsmart around here has them so I would imagine most every one does.


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## Zack2112 (Jul 11, 2008)

It could be a Leaf fish. I have never seen sevs at the nearest petsmart. However, a leaf fish would be quite an oddball for petsmart. Just as everyone else has asked, post some pics if you can :thumb:


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## ashilli48 (May 14, 2006)

I've seen Petsmart carry the leaf fish.

They seem to be branching out, carrying "assorted tropheus", "assorted south americans", etc.

I bought a green sev from petco a while back. Anything is possible especially if the buyer found a good deal or the department manager at that location is particularly daring or ....gulp.... knows a little about fish and likes a certain kind. :-?


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## andrew__ (Aug 5, 2006)

I found my red shoulder sev in a Petsmart in Southern Ontario back in April so I wouldn't be surprised (of course tagged as a turquoise or possibly green).


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## Gino Santangelo (Nov 26, 2008)

It's a sev, and already showing some turquoise color at an early age.


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## gage (Feb 7, 2007)

MetalHead06351 said:


> From what you described, it sounds like a petsmart severum. I would look up heros severus if I were you. The petsmart around here has them so I would imagine most every one does.


i am 99.99% sure that it is not severus, as they are almost impossible to find, most likely is Heros efasciatus, which is commonly labeled as a severum.


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## conor (May 19, 2007)

*artemisblossom*, having re-read you original post, I have to say I find it troubling that the staff member didn't know his stock. There should have been someone there who could tell you what the fish was. It is of no help to you, but I just had to say that.


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## Zack2112 (Jul 11, 2008)

Gino Santangelo said:


> It's a sev, and already showing some turquoise color at an early age.


Did i miss something. was a picture posted?


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

Zack2112 said:


> Gino Santangelo said:
> 
> 
> > It's a sev, and already showing some turquoise color at an early age.
> ...


No *Zack2112* a picture wasn't posted. *Gage* did post a picture of what a juvenile severum should like, so the OP would know if the cichlid they were looking at, at PetSmart was a Severum or not. *Gino Santangelo* possibly hasn't read through the whole post properly and may have thought this stock photo was a picture of the cichlid that needed identification.


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

Here's an excellent post from another forum. Heros diference.


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## artemisblossom (Dec 2, 2008)

Hi Everyone sorry I haven't been back for so long, (working double shifts) I bought 2 of those little fish they were selling as severums, they didn't have any stripes at first but in the last few days I can see pale stripes emerging, so maybe it was just stress from the pet store. They are shaped like the pic that was posted. I have taken a few pictures and and checking into how to post them on this board. Hopefully I will get them uploaded today.


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