Can a pair of severums live comfortably in a 44 gallon pentagon tank?

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So is 75 the minimum recommended tank size for a breeding pair of sevs? I am actually looking for a 75 or 90 gallon in a Craigslist wanted post I have up. Figured looking for a 90 as well would help increase my chances of finding something sooner.


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The only reason I ask is because this eventual pair will be all alone in the tank. I want to breed them and let them raise the fry before moving the fry to their own tank (a 55 i currently use for my german blue ram fry) where I can house them until they are ready to sell or trade. I just don't want a huge tank with nothing in it but 2 adult severums. At the same time, I want them to be comfortable. The standard 75 gallon rectangular tank I have in mind is 4 feet long and 16 inches wide. Not 100% sure of the height, but I think it's about 2 feet. So is it the 16" of width that is too small or is it the 4 foot length? I know they are middle/bottom dwellers, and 2 feet should be more than enough room for them since they only get 6-8" tall. The sevs I have don't bother the plants they currently live with, but as they grow, I know that is subject to change. If they still don't bother plants when they have a new home to move into, I will be planting that tank as well, but if they do destroy plants, I will just have some pots and driftwood for decoration.


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A 90 is perfect, a 75 works. a 75 just has less height, so for the sev's I'd still get the 90 if you could. Water volume always helps in fish health from my experiences. I have a much harder time maintaining my 6g nano planted setup than my 90 and 110 gallon tanks.
 
cacichilds said:
A 90 is perfect, a 75 works. a 75 just has less height, so for the sev's I'd still get the 90 if you could. Water volume always helps in fish health from my experiences. I have a much harder time maintaining my 6g nano planted setup than my 90 and 110 gallon tanks.
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Well I will hold out for a few months for a 90, but its good to know that a 75 will work. And I know what you mean about maintaining a smaller volume being harder. My 20 is harder to get any kind of ammonia, nitrate or nitrite spike under control compared to my 55. I do religious weekly water changes on both tanks of about 1/3 the water in each.


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fishman61 said:
Where are the other 2 severums and your other fish going?
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I currently own two 55 gallon tanks. The 4 juvie sevs, a bristlenose pleco and 5 German blue rams are together in one and the other is more of a quarantine/fry tank that I currently use for my GBR fry once they get to about 0.5-1" long and to quarantine any new additions, which I haven't had since the sevs a little over 2 months ago. When I get either a 75 or 90 gallon tank, all four small turquoise sevs will go into the tank until a pair form, then I will rehome the other 2. The 55 with the GBR will be left with my GBR and the pleco and I am thinking of adding either 2-3 festivum, 4-5 angelfish or a school of top dwellers (Denison barbs, roby barbs, or a large school of harlequin rasboras). The other 55 that I use will be for GBR and sev fry and will no longer be used for quarantine as I don't intend to add any fish beyond the above list for some time (promised the girlfriend no more tanks for at least a year and that I would not have more than 4 tanks at any time. The 20 gallon in the house doesn't count since its her tank).


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BlueKiller82 said:
I had a pair of sevs in a 75 gallon by themselves and it worked out well. 4 adults may be overcrowded though.
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Oh yeah. 4 adults in a 75 would be super overcrowded. I would never even consider more than 2 sevs in such a tank. 3 in a 90 is pushing it. I will rehome 2 of the sevs when and if a pair form. If a pair doesn't form, I will likely rehome all 4 and use the money I get to buy a larger number of fry and try for a breeding pair then. I really want to breed severums. My GBRs breeding was an accident. Got 6 of them around 2" and the LFS clerk told me they were all male. Well I ended up with 2 pair. As far as I can tell, I got 4 male and 2 female. I lost what I am pretty sure was a male from one of the pairs for unknown reasons and the female as not paired up with either of the other males. Or it might have been the female that died and there is only 1 female of the 5 I have left. Anyways, I fell in love with severums, but wanted to breed something more than just the standard gold or green. So Jeff Rapps sold me five 1" juvie turquoise sevs (lost one shortly after it arrived. The poor thing didn't look good from the time I opened the shipping box.) and I am hoping for a pair. I think I have 1 female and 3 males, but they are still super hard to sex and I may very well be wrong. But if no pair forms I think I will order 7 juvies from him and see if I can get my pair. If that fails, I will just keep 1 (if in a 75) or 2 (if in a 90) and just have it be my center piece with some other fish I haven't really given much thought to just yet.


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I would actually consider a 40g breeder for a pair. They do get big fast but they won't reach those monster sizes for a few years and they will bred before that. So maybe the 40 b won't last into old age but I think you will get at least a few years out of it. Keep it bare bottom and clean water give them a few terracotta pots maybe black the bottom back and sides put some fake plants floating on the top you should be good.
 
^ I wouldn't bother with a 40 breeder for severums. My wild notatus pair was in a 55 when they were about 7" and it was almost too cramped. A 75 would be perfect, especially if you want the parents to raise the fry for a few weeks.

Remember that the size of the fish and tank dimensions are not the only things to consider when selecting a tank size. You also have to take into account the aggression/activity level of the fish. I am breeding Heroina isonycterina pairs in 40 breeders. They are only 4 - 5" fish but the female doesn't have much of an escape if the male gets pushy or vice versa. Severums are larger and bulkier fish, and should have no problem reaching 5 - 7" in their first year. My tank-bred turquoise males were 9 - 10" by the time they were 2 years old and very pushy when spawning. The 75 will give you the length of the 55 but a more comfortable width for fish that can possibly reach 10". JMO.
 
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