Nothing serious, just simple curiosity. For that reason I imagine this post will probably just go unnoticed, I don't mind that.
I hear a lot of stories about fish displaying ''personality'' and would just like a little clarification as to what this actually means, particularly so in the case of my Severum (I'm not sure which genus, but I can upload a picture or two at a later date.) he's the jolly green giant of my tank and it seems to me, if fish were to display personality, this guy (maybe gal) has it.
My curiosity began when I noticed, whenever I approached the tank he (for the sake of this post I'll continue to refer to it as a male for simplicities sake) would swim to the glass as if to greet me. He'd then proceed to follow my finger along the glass, not trying to nip as I've seen with many other chichlid types, particularly when breeding, no, I'd say it's more like he's playing.
I say this, because my housemate (also the guy who actually owns the tank) and I were sat watching him roam the tank one day, and i noticed that he'd follow my movements, but not the movements of the fellow whom generally feeds him. Testing this theory, I moved away, only for the Severum to lose interest and also drift off, only returning once I too came back.
He's currently living in a 6ft x 2ft x 2ft (scale could be slightly off, numbers are not my forte in all honesty) and is quite happy to roam and explore, being approximately 5'' himself, he's amongst the biggest fish in the tank and it's not so easy to find appropriate hiding spots for him, not that he seems to harbor any interest in hiding. Much prefering to roam openly. And the only unusual thing I've noted is how he ''seems'' to prefere my company over my housemate or his kids.
As mentioned earlier, I currently don't have any pictures, or idea of which genus of Severum he is, only that the LFS which he was purchased from labeled him as ''Severum'' simple enough, he's the only severum in the tank so I call him Sev for convenience. And I'll be happy to take a picture for the community if anyone feels up to the challenge of identifying / sexing ''him'' for me.
But what I really wanted to know, is that normal behavior for a Severum, of any genus? I've seen similar behavior from Oscars, in that they seem to recognize and discriminate against certain individuals, usually prefering whomever they recognize as the feeder. I usually don't feed this tank, as I have a yellow lab tank and a discus tank set up elsewhere. So I find it slightly strange but amusing that he seems to maintain such a high level of interest when I approach. (also due to the location of the tank in the living room, i've managed to catch him watching me watch TV and the likes from the corner of the tank)
I appreciate that without knowing the sex OR the genus itself of Sev, that this question probably cant be answered, but I fully intend to upload a picture or two at a later date and would appreciate any information regarding the behavioural aspects of Severums, and any similar experiences anyone else may have had with these lovely fish.
Thanks for reading and hopefully taking the time to share,
Se7en
*EDIT* Picture uploaded, my current profile display picture.
I hear a lot of stories about fish displaying ''personality'' and would just like a little clarification as to what this actually means, particularly so in the case of my Severum (I'm not sure which genus, but I can upload a picture or two at a later date.) he's the jolly green giant of my tank and it seems to me, if fish were to display personality, this guy (maybe gal) has it.
My curiosity began when I noticed, whenever I approached the tank he (for the sake of this post I'll continue to refer to it as a male for simplicities sake) would swim to the glass as if to greet me. He'd then proceed to follow my finger along the glass, not trying to nip as I've seen with many other chichlid types, particularly when breeding, no, I'd say it's more like he's playing.
I say this, because my housemate (also the guy who actually owns the tank) and I were sat watching him roam the tank one day, and i noticed that he'd follow my movements, but not the movements of the fellow whom generally feeds him. Testing this theory, I moved away, only for the Severum to lose interest and also drift off, only returning once I too came back.
He's currently living in a 6ft x 2ft x 2ft (scale could be slightly off, numbers are not my forte in all honesty) and is quite happy to roam and explore, being approximately 5'' himself, he's amongst the biggest fish in the tank and it's not so easy to find appropriate hiding spots for him, not that he seems to harbor any interest in hiding. Much prefering to roam openly. And the only unusual thing I've noted is how he ''seems'' to prefere my company over my housemate or his kids.
As mentioned earlier, I currently don't have any pictures, or idea of which genus of Severum he is, only that the LFS which he was purchased from labeled him as ''Severum'' simple enough, he's the only severum in the tank so I call him Sev for convenience. And I'll be happy to take a picture for the community if anyone feels up to the challenge of identifying / sexing ''him'' for me.
But what I really wanted to know, is that normal behavior for a Severum, of any genus? I've seen similar behavior from Oscars, in that they seem to recognize and discriminate against certain individuals, usually prefering whomever they recognize as the feeder. I usually don't feed this tank, as I have a yellow lab tank and a discus tank set up elsewhere. So I find it slightly strange but amusing that he seems to maintain such a high level of interest when I approach. (also due to the location of the tank in the living room, i've managed to catch him watching me watch TV and the likes from the corner of the tank)
I appreciate that without knowing the sex OR the genus itself of Sev, that this question probably cant be answered, but I fully intend to upload a picture or two at a later date and would appreciate any information regarding the behavioural aspects of Severums, and any similar experiences anyone else may have had with these lovely fish.
Thanks for reading and hopefully taking the time to share,
Se7en
*EDIT* Picture uploaded, my current profile display picture.
, i think its generally normal behavior with most cichlids as i have 2 GBRs and they both follow me when im near the tank and not my housemate.
