Green or Rotkeil Severum?

[Aanand]

Hello Everyone,
Need some help in identifying the Severums in the background. Are they Rotkiel or Green Severums. They are approximately 3" in length and 2.5" to 3" in height (only the body and without tail). Also, the red coloration is missing in all of them.
Thanks.

 

[BIG-G]

If they are missing the red, mostly likely they are green severum

 

[Aanand]

If they are missing the red, mostly likely they are green severum

Thanks... However, the only green (like moss) that is visible is on their jaw below their mouth. Rest of the body is sometimes dirty yellow or brownish with a tinge of yellow...

 

[BIG-G]

Thanks... However, the only green (like moss) that is visible is on their jaw below their mouth. Rest of the body is sometimes dirty yellow or brownish with a tinge of yellow...

I Understand, common names are just a generality.
Did you buy them as rotkiels ?

 

[BIG-G]

Read this maybe it will help determine if
you have rotkeil or green. It could be taking a little longer for them to develop the red.

Rotkeil Severum

Should my Rotkeil Severum be taking this long to show Red? He is probably a year and a half old and 4.5”. Not much red on him ---

www.monsterfishkeepers.com

 

[Aanand]

Read this maybe it will help determine if
you have rotkeil or green. It could be taking a little longer for them to develop the red.

Rotkeil Severum

Should my Rotkeil Severum be taking this long to show Red? He is probably a year and a half old and 4.5”. Not much red on him ---

www.monsterfishkeepers.com

Went through the linked thread... Severums have been inter-bred to such a large extent that its very difficult now to know which is which (except the golden and red spotted.).

Yes, I bought them as Rotkiels. I prefer them to the golden and red spotted as the ones I bought look more "wild caught" rather than the common morphed golden and red spotted variety although the red spotted males are fantastic looking.

Got this from wiki's Heros Notatus page.
" The species generally found in the aquarium trade Heros efasciatus and its man-made color morphs(red and gold) as well as the unspecified H. sp.'rotkeil'. - what does the unspecified mean?

 

[neutrino]

Got this from wiki's Heros Notatus page.
" The species generally found in the aquarium trade Heros efasciatus and its man-made color morphs(red and gold) as well as the unspecified H. sp.'rotkeil'. - what does the unspecified mean?

They haven't been officially described to this point, hence the "sp" in sp. 'rotkeil'. Also, some doubt their lineage, as to whether they're a natural, wild fish or not.

Whatever their lineage, rotkeils look much like green severums when they're small and some take longer to develop their red than others, though they're 'supposed' to have 8 vs. 9 bars, which was true of any I had- 8 bars.

 

[ryansmith83]

The ones in question are not rotkeil, IMO. The rows of black spots are not usually seen in rotkeil juvies. Also, rotkeils usually have bright orange or red anal and pelvic fins, while yours are dark red/maroon. These look more like some of the efasciatus on the market.

Keep in kind that common names like “green severum” don’t necessarily mean the fish will be green. They’ll range from tan, brown, green, gray, to blue. That’s what leads to a lot of confusion. I see a lot of people, for instance, who say “well I have a turquoise severum (H. appendiculatus) because it’s blue, not green.” The problem is that not all appendiculatus appear turquoise-colored, and not all turquoise-colored Heros are appendiculatus...

 

[neutrino]

The ones in question are not rotkeil, IMO. The rows of black spots are not usually seen in rotkeil juvies. Also, rotkeils usually have bright orange or red anal and pelvic fins, while yours are dark red/maroon.

Based on the size description I wasn't certain which ones were in question, whether it was the smaller ones in the back. If it's those in the lower center of the photo I completely agree.

 

[BIG-G]

Thanks neutrino and ryansmith83
I should have tagged you guys in this thread.

A Aanand I meant to get back to you on this but it slipped my mind.
Ryan’s comment on the various colors these fish exhibits is what I meant but the common names being a generality.
Even though a fish will be one color doesn’t necessarily mean it’s still not the same species.
Green and Turquoise are two that get interchanged a lot.
I’ve also seen Red lines with not much red called Golds.
This why the use of common names gets confusing.