Severums and frontosa?
- Thread starter beerad555
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I've kept various Cyphotilapia for close to 20 years, severums more like 25, maybe longer, not sure when I got my first one. I keep them in basically the same water, ph mid-upper 7s, moderate hardness (12-14 when I've tested it, both GH and KH), temps in mid-upper 70s to 80ish for either fish, sevs can go a little higher, fronts a little lower. Either fish does fine in these conditions ime. I've had severums live over 15 years, a lot of articles say they live 10. While in the past I'd typically trade (or sell) fronts in and out of my tanks, my current group of kapampa fronts includes some that are over 11 years old (not surprising, they can live 20 years).
No, I wouldn't keep fronts in pH 6 or sevs in pH 9, but give them moderate conditions, clean water, quality food, and both fish do just fine ime.
No, I wouldn't keep fronts in pH 6 or sevs in pH 9, but give them moderate conditions, clean water, quality food, and both fish do just fine ime.
Neutrino, what species of severum did you have. Severum species are distributed all over Amazon Basin. Some came from black water habitat similar to Discus and soft water Geo, so I suspect that they may be similarly vulnerable to HITH. I presently have Appendiulatus and looking to acquire Rochelle, and want to make sure I don't repeat the mistake I had with Geo.
Mostly different forms of efasciatus, this includes a lot of rotkeils, including wild... Last I knew, according to Kullander, appendiulatus and efasciatus are now the same fish, just a question of location. I've also kept geos, altifron, red head Tapajos, other unidentified suriname types, guianacara (technically not geos, but similar water, habits, etc.) in the same water. In fact, I bred red head Tapajos for several years in same water. In all my fishkeeping time, a few decades, I've had just one case of hole in the head, unless there was one when I was a kid I've forgotten. So rare for me I don't even remember which fish it was, just the fact it happened and that I arrested it with stepped up water changes and some meth blue treatment in the tank.
Years ago I kept discus for some years, did very well with them. Started out keeping them in low pH, soft water because of what I read starting out, but with more experience I got to where I kept them in mid 7s pH, hardness 10-12 (GH and KH). This was before all the current sunshine this and eruption that discus; pigeon bloods were new and I had some. It includes some wild brown/red discus. There's a misconception about discus that they all come from low pH, super soft, super warm water. Do enough research beyond typical forums and some of the generic hobby articles and read biology sources or guys like Heiko Bleher who've spent decades observing and collecting them in the wild and you find out this isn't true. Green and Heckel discus are the soft water fish, blue/brown/red discus live in more varying conditions, including water down to the lower mid 70s, pH up to the upper 7s.
I can't answer why some have issues with HITH, just know I'm one fish away from being able to say I've never dealt with it. Not telling anyone what to do or not, there are a lot of variables in fishkeeping, but this is my experience.
...I don't keep severums or most geos in especially warm water, upper 70s typically, 80-ish on occasion. Don't know if this is a factor for some people, maybe they keep them too warm? Just a thought.
Interesting. My water has KH between 5 to 10 and pH around 7.5. So your water is about the same as mine. I had terrible HITH with Jurupari and Suriname species, so similar water, different experience. Geos species are just as widely distributed as Severum species, and their tolerance of water chemistry can be highly species specific. It's good to know that you have no issue with Rockell and Appendiculatus, which give me comfort to try them.
Most of the common captive bred severums I have had have been very tolerant to harder waters. The wild caught fish have been hit or miss. I had a wc Heros sp. "Inirida" that I slowly acclimated to harder water that did great until I gave him to my son.
Nice C. paramensis in your avatar.
Good to hear that captive bred severums are tolerant of harder water. Not sure if any common severum species came from black water. Some black water fish, despite long time domestication, never developed the hardiness in harder water.
The fish Data Base says that severums came from all over tropical South America: Orinoco River basin, in the upper Orinoco River drainage in Colombia and Venezuela; Amazon River basin, in the upper Negro River basin. I guess species so wildly distributed should be more adaptable to different water chemistry.
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