Severum Facial Pattern Development

[Fishworks2015]

Hi All,

Wanting to determine gender of Severums by facial pattern.

If I get them young at 2 inches, will i be able to examine facial pattern immediately? Or do i have to wait for them to mature a bit? Like say wait for 6 months or a year?

 

[Deadeye]

What kind of sev? With my turquoise (h. efasciatus) I remember being able to see worming but 3-4 inches.
ryansmith83

 

[neutrino]

Probably not at 2 inches, closer to 4 maybe, but I agree with Deadeye, which type? It can vary between species (or individuals) and in some cases (H. severus, super red severum) both develop facial markings and the difference is subtle.

 

[Fishworks2015]

What kind of sev? With my turquoise (h. efasciatus) I remember being able to see worming but 3-4 inches.
ryansmith83

Probably not at 2 inches, closer to 4 maybe, but I agree with Deadeye, which type? It can vary between species (or individuals) and in some cases (H. severus, super red severum) both develop facial markings and the difference is subtle.

Rotkiels and Red-spotted Green.

Whats the estimated amount of time i should wait before they reach 4 inches? Im guessing it depends how much I feed?

 

[neutrino]

Quality of what you feed. And it's not just one thing, as important as food are water quality, tank size, and water changes. Also genetics, overall health and not being stressed, rank in a group, etc. Could be 3 or 4 months to put on another two inches but it's not exactly predictable, for some they grow faster and for some they grow slower. For example, let's say they were kept in crowded conditions or were underfed and are undersized right now, they could have a little growth spurt in a bigger tank. Better to take overall good care of them for health, color and growth than trying to hurry nature.

Same with size at which males show spotting, it's not an exact prediction, for one thing it's more about age/maturity than size and individuals can mature at different rates.

 

[Fishworks2015]

neutrino

Ah, so I gather I should keep them healthy and happy while I must be patient.

3-4 months to grow from 2" to 4" is just a good guess. I could wait longer and give them 6-8 months to grow the 2 inches.

I will keep on learning!
Thank you very much!

 

[neutrino]

neutrino

Ah, so I gather I should keep them healthy and happy while I must be patient.

Pretty much.

Also, I'd expect more than 2 inch growth in 6-8 months.

 

[ryansmith83]

Size is really not relevant, but age. Secondary sex characteristics start developing around six months old up to a year. By this time, most fish with adequate food and water changes should be in the 3 - 4” range, which is why people say that’s a good size to start determining their gender.

 

[Fishworks2015]

Pretty much.

Also, I'd expect more than 2 inch growth in 6-8 months.

Size is really not relevant, but age. Secondary sex characteristics start developing around six months old up to a year. By this time, most fish with adequate food and water changes should be in the 3 - 4” range, which is why people say that’s a good size to start determining their gender.

I want to get Rotkiels and Red-Spotted Green Severum.

So on average for these fish, 4" is a good time to examine facial markings?

Time to get there I can observe around 3 months up to a year?

 

[ryansmith83]

If they have started developing secondary sex characteristics you can usually tell. I don’t know what “red spotted green” is because that’s a trade name and could be describing any Heros, but it works the same for all of them except liberifer, severus, and super reds/red spotted golds.