Severum Additions

[hudsona85]

So after much debate and discovering water parameters that would be suitable for my new 75gal tank, I have chosen to go for SA cichlids. I will have sand as my substrate and debating between the Aquatop CF500UV, Eheim Pro 350, or 1 or 2 AquaClear 110. I am not planning on having live plants.
I currently have a Gold Severum that I intend to move from my 55gal to the 75gal. I cannot tell if the Severum is actually a male or female. Given that s/he seems to be very peaceful with the other tank mates in the 55gal. I cannot exactly tell if I should somewhat replicate this setup or if there are some other cichlids that would be compatible with the Severum given its size now and what it will grow into.
The 55gal:
2 German rams
2 Opaline Gourami
3 Tiger barbs
2 Dension barbs
3 Kribs with 9 baby kribs quarantined
2 crayfish
1 Bolivian ram
and 1 Colombian Pleco
 
I would like to look into some similar sized cichlids that would do well with the Severum along with some bottom feeders and other tank mates. I don't want to make the mistake of thinking I can put too many SA cichlids in one tank because of the space they need. I would hate to get rid of the Severum for this reason but if I have to, I will. I am not looking to overstock by any means but I would like to have a good amount.Thank you in advance!

 

[AmtotheBurr]

Severum is gorgeous. I hope you get the perfect tank mates chosen for s/he. The s/he made me laugh.

 

[hudsona85]

Thank you Amber! Haha! Yeah I am known to be random at times!

 

[Far_King]

S/he is beautiful.
 
I'm jealous of the rams and kribs.  I'd love both but I'm not certain they'd fit into any community setting I have currently.
 
I was eyeing some up in the LFS at the weekend but managed to walk away....eventually.
 
I think you've made a great choice with the SA Cichlids.  A friend of mine had a beautiful tank with lots of them and they were fascinating to watch.

 

[AmtotheBurr]

I tried to get him to do Africans but I was overridden by the knowledgeable Byron who said his water was better suited for SA. I was bummed lol. Can't wait to see how this tank turns out.

 

[hudsona85]

S/he is beautiful.
 
I'm jealous of the rams and kribs.  I'd love both but I'm not certain they'd fit into any community setting I have currently.
 
I was eyeing some up in the LFS at the weekend but managed to walk away....eventually.
 
I think you've made a great choice with the SA Cichlids.  A friend of mine had a beautiful tank with lots of them and they were fascinating to watch.

Thank you! They are fun to have for sure! The German Ram is the one that I first started out with. Eventually I tried to him some "friends" to possibly mate with. Never happened though. But on the other hand, the kribs did!
 

I tried to get him to do Africans but I was overridden by the knowledgeable Byron who said his water was better suited for SA. I was bummed lol. Can't wait to see how this tank turns out.

Sorry about that Amber! I know... I was getting your hopes up!

Wasn't done on purpose. However! I can make it up to you (well, hopefully lol).
 
https/youtu.be/2PuKTjMmZbk
 
I hope the link works!

 

[AmtotheBurr]

That is a sweet tank! I love the random abandoned house to the side lol. Great job on the wood and plants, I have no scaping abilities as far as I can tell. I'll live vicariously through others. When's the new tank getting set up?

 

[hudsona85]

Thank you! I rearrange every now and then but this kind of setup I will keep for a while. LOL! I told you I was pretty random!  Funnily enough its where the kribs went and mated. Whatever works right? I haven't seen any of your tanks and can't seem to find them. I'm sure you did just fine and the fish are happy. As far as the 75gal, I should be getting the sand tomorrow but haven't decided on what filtration to get.

  This ordeal with canisters is new to me but I think I narrowed it down. Plus finances kind of put a damper on what I can get.

 

 

[AmtotheBurr]

Are you getting playground sand? A lot of people use that on here and it's very inexpensive. You just have to rinse it well. I'll post a photo of my Japanese themed tank tomorrow.

 

[hudsona85]

No, I didn't realize playground sand was actually safe for the fish and ended up getting the Caribsea Natural sand until after I ordered it... That would have saved me quite a bit of money... At least I learned that now!

 

[hudsona85]

So I am still kind of stumped as to what tank mate will go along with the Severum. I think I have it narrowed down to a few. The ones listed does not mean I plan to get all of them but ones that I thought that may go well with the Severum. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.
 
Geophagus sp. "Araguari - Orange Head"
Biotodoma cupido
Geophagus altifrons
Geophagus sp. "Pindare" (Parnaiba)
Blue Acara
Green Terror
Tiger Barbs
Pictus Catfish
Gymnogeophagus sp Blue Neon Valentine (This is a maybe due to not knowing much about the "cooling period")
Electric blue Jack Dempsey (thinking maybe not due to aggression issues)

 

[AmtotheBurr]

I'll add to your list: I think on your welcome post someone had suggested angels and discus
I think Dempsey is a no go.

 

[AmtotheBurr]

festivum (Mesonauta species) can get along with severums.

 

[hudsona85]

I don't know too much about discus to get into them even tho they look fantastic. I may go with an angel but not sure. Festivums do not sound like a bad idea either.. I'll have to look into that. Thank you.

 

[Wills]

Hi, a 75g for a gold is a little tight on size for an adult fish but it is manageable.
 
From your list there are quite a few options - the Green Terror is a no go, they usually end up having to be a wet pet in a tank this size as they can be overly aggressive. I would worry about putting cichlids with good finage in a tank with Tiger Barbs, although they can be manageable I have found they do still nip so it cant be the best option in a tank like this.
 
As you mentioned the Gymnogeos need a cooling period, this is pretty much essential and non optional the down side of these species which is they are not really suitable for just community life it needs a very specific set up and is not something to add to someone else
 
With the Geophagus type fish, they are gregarious fish so need to be kept in groups of 4+ so take up a large proportion of the stock. The three species of Geophaugs you mention are very substantial fish, the Altifrons will grow too large generally getting to around 10 inches but the Orange Heads and Pindare are borderline on size as big males can get to around 8 inches for both fish. The best option would be the Cupids in a nice sized group of 5-6 of them would work great in the tank
 
The Blue Acara would work fine as would any of the other "Acara" type fish like the Yellows, Blacks, Saddle etc - I really like the yellows personally.
 
The Pictus would work but not with the cupids as they could end up as snacks to an adult pictus.
 
The EBJD would work with the Severum as well, though you would be looking at a specific set up around mid to large sized cichlids with a large school of something like Bleeding Heart Tetras or any of the disk tetras.
 
Personally I would go for something like
 
1 Gold Severum
6 Cupid Cichlids
12 Lemon Tetras
4 Spotted Headstanders
3 Hoplo Catfish (or more if you miss out the headstanders)
 
To me this is a nice Amazon themed tank with a good mix of colours and behaviors the Lemon Tetras could be any of the disk shaped tetras
 
Hope thats helped
Wills