So I have a Rotkeil Severum and a Gold/Red (orange?) severum in my 135 gallon CA/SA community tank. They are both about 6" and have been very peaceful together for months. In fact, I believe they are paired, and a couple months ago they even laid eggs but didn't successfully produce fry. (I assume the Gold severum is the female, she was guarding the eggs). The past few days, the Rotkeil has been chasing the Gold all over the tank relentlessly and nipping at her fins. I tried putting him in a "time-out" box but he squeezed out of it after an hour and resumed chasing. Any advice? I don't really have an empty tank to move him into right now, but i can divide one temporarily if I really need to.
Peaceful severum pair now fighting
- Thread starter TheLorax
- Start date
I would divide them for a little bit, give them a break from each other, and try to see a week later if they get along again.
It could be that one wants to spawn and the other doesn't. Occasionally my severus pair will break up for a brief time and the male will relentlessly hound the female. After a week or two, they'll usually be inseparable again.
If they are young fish and aren't a true bonded pair, it's possible that they've just outgrown each other. Sometimes you'll have two cichlids that are fine as juveniles and then all hell breaks loose when they hit sexual maturity. Did you recently add any other fish to the tank or change anything that could have caused a change in the pecking order?
If they are young fish and aren't a true bonded pair, it's possible that they've just outgrown each other. Sometimes you'll have two cichlids that are fine as juveniles and then all hell breaks loose when they hit sexual maturity. Did you recently add any other fish to the tank or change anything that could have caused a change in the pecking order?
I added a small chocolate cichlid 3 weeks ago but he keeps to himself, and this only seems to have been happening in the past few days to a week. How likely is it that he'll kill her? He doesn't seem to be trying to, but her tail does show some damage. I think you're right that the male wants to spawn, my M/F Thoricthys maculippinis show this behavior a lot and the female is still fine, but I feel like the severum could do more damage.
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I think you are on the right track that the male wants to spawn and the female isn't ready. Severums are a tricky group when it comes to aggression. I have a big bull male now that has been banished to my central american tank because he is just too much of a bully to be kept with other south americans. He especially hates any other severum, regardless of sex. If you can't separate the fish, keep a careful eye on them. You may end up with a dead female if they can't work things out.