Severum Care Guide

The adult home

Build around behavior, not just gallons

• Use a broad aquarium with strong filtration, open turning room, and sturdy structures that divide territories.
• Secure décor on the aquarium base and expect adults to dig, move objects, or eat soft plants.
• Plan from the start for an eight-to-ten-inch adult rather than a small store juvenile.

Compatibility and nutrition

Make sure every fish can behave and eat normally

• Choose robust fish too large to swallow and calm enough not to provoke constant conflict.
• Do not combine severums with tiny community fish, highly aggressive cichlids, or slow fish that cannot compete for food.
• Use a complete medium-to-large cichlid pellet with varied vegetable matter and frozen foods; avoid feeder fish.

Compatibility lists are never guarantees. Observe the actual animals, provide visual barriers, and keep a safe alternate housing plan whenever territorial or predatory fish are involved.

Arrival and long-term care

Observe first; change conditions deliberately

1. Before arrival, cycle and test the aquarium, confirm temperature, and prepare a lid and species-appropriate cover.
2. On arrival, dim the lights, inspect the unopened bag, and follow the seller’s acclimation directions. Do not pour shipping water into the aquarium.
3. For the first week, keep the environment quiet, feed lightly after the fish settles, and record appetite, breathing, waste, and social behavior.

• Monitor feeding access, pair formation, lip or fin injuries, and fish being driven into corners.
• Maintain strong oxygenation and regular water changes for the heavy adult bioload.
• Keep a divider or alternate cycled aquarium available before social dynamics change.

Breeding overview

Breeding creates a responsibility for the offspring

Compatible pairs clean a rock or other firm surface and guard eggs and fry. Territorial behavior can intensify sharply during spawning, so separation capacity and grow-out space should be ready first.

Before attempting a spawn, prepare cycled grow-out space, suitable first foods, a separation plan, and responsible homes for juveniles. Do not rely on a community aquarium to provide safe or controlled breeding conditions.