that was my tank before the frontosa . I have a large tiger sevrum was told by lfs was wild caught and not very common. So i had a albino clown knife that i got rif of and decided to add a frontosa about the same size as the sevrum. I was told they would probaly get along. So as i put the front in the sevrum chased the front and attacked him. I have they blocked off in the same tank using the tank lids. What should i do was thinking of getting a 75 for the frontosa . is there a way to get them to get along would adding some blood parrots lesson the aggresion??
welp i messed up frontosa with tiger sevrum
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that was my tank before the frontosa . I have a large tiger sevrum was told by lfs was wild caught and not very common. So i had a albino clown knife that i got rif of and decided to add a frontosa about the same size as the sevrum. I was told they would probaly get along. So as i put the front in the sevrum chased the front and attacked him. I have they blocked off in the same tank using the tank lids. What should i do was thinking of getting a 75 for the frontosa . is there a way to get them to get along would adding some blood parrots lesson the aggresion??
Frontosa are African cichlids. Heros severus are a blackwater-restricted species from South America. The two fish are not compatible in terms of water chemistry or behavior. They shouldn’t be together.
Also, adding a new cichlid to the established territory of another cichlid is going to spell disaster in most cases. The severus views that tank as its own and is not going to be welcoming of most fish you try to put in there.
Heros severus are maybe the largest-growing species of Heros and one of the most aggressive. I keep 6 of them in a 220 and the male takes over the entire 6’ tank when the pair spawns, pinning the other 4 fish in the upper corners of the tank and shredding their fins and scales.
Also, adding a new cichlid to the established territory of another cichlid is going to spell disaster in most cases. The severus views that tank as its own and is not going to be welcoming of most fish you try to put in there.
Heros severus are maybe the largest-growing species of Heros and one of the most aggressive. I keep 6 of them in a 220 and the male takes over the entire 6’ tank when the pair spawns, pinning the other 4 fish in the upper corners of the tank and shredding their fins and scales.
the sevrum gets along with my gars and for the most part get along with a albino clown knife i had. you think the sevrum will get along with a flag tail?
It’s not going to care for most other cichlids being introduced. It might respond okay to non-cichlids as long as they’re too big to get eaten.
I actually have some experience keeping Heros rotkeil and kapampa gibberosa together, since at one time I was breeding them both and with all the grow-outs and fry I sometimes had individuals of both species together in secondary tanks. In fact, sevs (most types) and fronts have generally similar temperaments, which is also to say variable.
In a similar scenario, I had the resident Heros react similarly to an introduced kapampa-- both adults-- but within a few days the kapampa turned the tables. Cyphotilapia are powerful fish and surprisingly quick when they want to be. I'm a fairly acute observer of fish behavior and body language, it appeared to me the sev was 'offended' by the fronts bold bars. Then, after the kapampa felt more comfortable, he asserted his strength. In any case, for a time those two were going to be stuck with each other- I solved it by adding a divider, gave them time to get used to each other's presence and in time they were fine without the divider and paid little attention to each other.
Now, this was circumstantial, necessity the mother of invention and all; I'm not recommending the combination, I'm generally fussier about fish that do or don't "belong" together-- although years ago I was less so, so I've seen or done some 'odd' combinations I wouldn't do now, sometimes including Heros sp., considering I've kept them for 25 years, . These days I'd much prefer either a Heros/SA tank OR a Cyphotilapia/Tanganyikan tank, so if was me I'd go either in one direction or the other. Nevertheless, I'm saying it can be done-- that is if you keep moderate water conditions, not very low or very high pH, too cool or too warm temperatures, etc. I knew someone once who's Kigoma front and green severum were buddies in the tank. However, like most cichlids, it depends on the individual fish or tank.
In a similar scenario, I had the resident Heros react similarly to an introduced kapampa-- both adults-- but within a few days the kapampa turned the tables. Cyphotilapia are powerful fish and surprisingly quick when they want to be. I'm a fairly acute observer of fish behavior and body language, it appeared to me the sev was 'offended' by the fronts bold bars. Then, after the kapampa felt more comfortable, he asserted his strength. In any case, for a time those two were going to be stuck with each other- I solved it by adding a divider, gave them time to get used to each other's presence and in time they were fine without the divider and paid little attention to each other.
Now, this was circumstantial, necessity the mother of invention and all; I'm not recommending the combination, I'm generally fussier about fish that do or don't "belong" together-- although years ago I was less so, so I've seen or done some 'odd' combinations I wouldn't do now, sometimes including Heros sp., considering I've kept them for 25 years, . These days I'd much prefer either a Heros/SA tank OR a Cyphotilapia/Tanganyikan tank, so if was me I'd go either in one direction or the other. Nevertheless, I'm saying it can be done-- that is if you keep moderate water conditions, not very low or very high pH, too cool or too warm temperatures, etc. I knew someone once who's Kigoma front and green severum were buddies in the tank. However, like most cichlids, it depends on the individual fish or tank.
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Sheesh... for those of you who notice malapropisms, I meant astute, not acute...
I am currently keeping a Zaire Tembwe Front with a red spot and red shoulder Severum. The Front is the big boss and ignore the Severum. The two Severum sometimes butt head at each other but do no harm. Front and Severum have similar mild temperament but dissimilar water requirements. Front came from alkaline water, and Severum from soft water, and both do fine in my pH 7.5 water. I had trouble with other soft water SA and am surprised that Severum are adaptable in my mildly hard water.
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Most Heros are adaptable because they come from a variety of different water types in the wild, but severus are a blackwater-restricted species and the only Heros species that is such (unless sp. Inirida is formally described and shown to be). I’ve been keeping and breeding severus since 2015 and they do not do well in pH over 7 for the long-term. They will start to get HITH usually, unless the water is kept extremely clean with large frequent WC. Hence my initial post about the different water requirements.
My past experience with black water species was bad, and they all came up with HITH. So I am surprised Severum do well this time. I guess keeping plants and doing large WC, 75% weekly, is a game changer.