# Gold Severum chasing my blue gouramis



## randigirl25 (May 11, 2013)

I have a 55 g bow front planted tank with sand substrate. I have 5 black Khuli, 2 yo yo loaches, 2 zebra loaches, a pair of blue gouramis, and a few guppies. I had more fish but wanted to get less fish and wanted a focal fish I guess. I made several trips to the pet shop and had some great conversations about interesting looking fish, but ones that would do well in a community tank. She suggested gold rams and gold severums as being great docile cichlids and that the severum is close in character to an oscar but would be more docile and not aggressive. So after much googling, I decided to get both a gold ram and the severum as the last additions to complete my tank, and the first day everyone got along great but today I am noticing that my severum has seem to claim the middle of the tank and continually chases and tries to nip either of my gouramis. He doesnt seem to bother any of my loaches, or the guppies or the gold ram but he definately has something against my gouramis, even though they are a bit bigger than he is. Did I just get an aggressive severum, and take him back or wait a few days more and see if everyone settles down, maybe get another one? I really like him but I had the gouramis first, so not sure what to do, and any advice would be great!!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

This is a 12" fish. I'd take him back just because of the size issue.


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

I agree with DJRansome. Severums are comparatively mild mannered for a cichlid their size, but a 12"cichlid is a 12" cichlid, there is no arguing that away. Cichlids are opportunistic feeders, meaning if something looks tasty and fits in their mouth, they will try to eat it. By the time the severum is fully grown, that includes most fish on your stocking list, which makes Severums bad community fish - unless we are talking about a community of large cichlids.

The reason the severum is currently chasing the gouramis lies undoubtedly in their long fin extensions. To any cichlid they are bound to look like worms, and trigger its food instinct. The severum is not aggressive, it's a big kid with a bowl of ice-cream in front of it, being expected not to eat it :drooling:

Maybe get a second golden rams instead of the severum. Rams do well in small groups, and if you are lucky you might chance on a pair. They might well breed for you, and the whole process of them choosing and preparing a spawning site, laying the eggs, and caring for the young is super interesting to watch :thumb:


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

fmueller said:


> The reason the severum is currently chasing the gouramis lies undoubtedly in their long fin extensions. To any cichlid they are bound to look like worms, and trigger its food instinct. The severum is not aggressive, it's a big kid with a bowl of ice-cream in front of it, being expected not to eat it :drooling:


I would really doubt that. Kept blue gourami with various cichlids for about 20 of the last 30 some years .....and never once witnessed a cichlid viewing their long fin extensions as food! Kept them with severums as well as much more aggressive cichlids. I'm far from the only one to successfully keep Trigogaster trichopterus with severum.....seen this mix on this forum a few times as well as many other aquariums in the past.

A pic from late 70's with JD, mayan and Mozambique.


More recent.2008. breeding pairs of cons, jewels, black belts and young salvini:
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2010. Breeding pair of salvini, auratus, kenyi, crabro.
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2012. Black belts, cons, jewels, crabro.http://s192.photobucket.com/user/Bern-C/media/039.mp4.html

Compared to most fishes, cichlids are aggressive and very competitive. And even severums can be quite aggressive at times. The severum is newely introduced and asserting it's dominance. Gouramis will be seen as competition, at times, by cichlids. But usually, if there are other cichlids in the tank, most of a cichlid's attention is directed towards other cichlids. What the gourami has going for it, is that it does not compete for territorial space on the bottom of the tank and is usually significantly smaller, so it's not in the same competitive weight class.
A 55 may very well be too small of a tank for severums. Gold rams would be a better choice.


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

BC in SK said:


> cichlids are aggressive and very competitive.


I am afraid you are anthropomorphizing fish. Fish are not people, but act out of instinct with the prime drivers for behavior being the need to sustain self (food) and species (procreation). For many cichlid species the latter includes the need to establish and defend a territory.

The propensity of many fish to nibble on the long fin extensions of others is frequently observed in fish tanks, and there is nothing new or surprising about it. Of course fish can also eventually learn that those fin extensions are not food, and the fish with the extensions can learn to protect them from being nibbled on. Obviously the latter becomes more difficult in smaller tanks, where fish can't get out of each others way, but admittedly anybody's guess is as good as mine whether the severum's and gourami's apparent struggle is over food or territory.

I am glad we can agree that a 55G tank with small community fish is no place for a severum.


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## NZSIC'S (Apr 30, 2013)

This is exactly what my severum does... likes to get the best cave/hiding spot, and will chase my other fish away sometimes (the oscar all the time) to protect it!

agree with others fish is too big for your community.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

He is chasing them out of his territory. If he isn't harming them, then it is normal behaviour, and no problems. As others have said, he will outgrow this tank though.


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## BC in SK (Aug 11, 2012)

fmueller said:


> BC in SK said:
> 
> 
> > cichlids are aggressive and very competitive.
> ...


Barely. Anything and everything a human says can be viewed as such!


fmueller said:


> The severum is not aggressive, it's a big kid with a bowl of ice-cream in front of it, being expected not to eat it :drooling:
> :


Talk about anthropomorphizing :roll: :roll: :roll: I think you have taken it to a silly level!! Yes , like a cichlid views pelvic fins in bright light as worms... because what, it superficicially resembles that to some humans :-? :-? :-? :-? :-?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

randigirl25, did you get answers to your question, or do you have more questions?


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