Severum Danger

[TropicanaFish]

My severum has gotten bigger and bigger. the tank i have him in is a 55 gallon and anytime anyone comes near it or even touches anything around it he freaks out and starts swimming really fast ramming into stuff. I am afraid that he will kill himself some time soon. so should i get rid of him or what else could i do to help him. there are other fish in the tank. mostly tiger barbs and some other smaller 2 inch fish. There are big caves for him to hide in and yet he still freaks out. 
 
here is a link to a picture of the tank     http/s1359.beta.photobucket.com/user/jfoust98/media/mms_picture_zps30f7feae.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

 

[lock77]

I'm in no way an expert on severums but I would say he needs more hiding places and cover. He's a big fish compared to the caves in the pic. I had the same problem with a tiger oscar I had, sorted it with some big bits of bogwood and big fake plants. He spent a lot of time behind cover but he was a lot calmer.

 

[Wills]

The tank is very open especially at the upper levels all the caves and darker areas of the tank are quite small as well so hes not going to rest in them.
 
Severums do sulk at times - have there been any recent changes to the tank? New fish etc?
 
Maybe try a dark background on the tank that might help a bit, a few bin bags can work nice as a texture when taped to the back of a tank on the outside.
 
Also I would not rest rocks against the glass this can cause pressure points and in extreme cases cause damage.
 
Also if your rescaping the tank as suggested maybe do it so that it is a bit safer for a darting fish in there. - no sharp rock edges - nothing too stacked up and balanced a bit much.
 
Wills

 

[TropicanaFish]

ok well thanks for the advice. I was already planing on getting some bin bags to put on the back and i will hopefully be going to the pet store soon to get a big piece of driftwood. I will remove some of the rocks in the center and put the log there instead. and maybe get some bigger plants for him to hid in. And how else might i make the caves better for a bigger fish?  

 

[buffmaxwell]

i have had a pretty large green severum (about 7 inches) for about 9 months and I can tell you, you def need more hiding places for him. There is a giant cave in mine. Its set up like a reef and he really likes to hang out back there especially when he sleeps. All though he doesnt really freak out at all. i can feed him out of my hand. The only thing he doesnt like is the magnifloat, then he does what youre describing so i quit using it.

 

[TropicanaFish]

ok. how is a good easy way to make caves and such for him?

 

[buffmaxwell]

well my girlfriend bought all the decor for the tank. its actually like a man made reef. tacky for a cichlid tank but it actually serves a really good purpose. it has tones of crevases for them all to hide. she got it at petsmart

 

[TropicanaFish]

ok well i will have to check that out

 

[Lunar Jetman]

You could stack up rocks to create hidey holes but you'll need a few and large ones for that size fish. He looks nice though. How long have you had him and how big was he when you got him?

 

[Flute]

Seeing as this isn't really an emergency I'm going to move this over to the New World Cichlid section, where the guys over there can give you more advice again

 

[TropicanaFish]

OK. I have had the fish ever since i got into this hobby which was when i was 12. So I've had him for about 2 years now, and he was only around 1.5 inches when I first started out. would a big piece of drift wood in the middle(after i took out some of the rocks)serve as a good hiding place for him?

 

[balajake]

I have two f1 Belem Severums and a red spotted Severum. They do need places to hide away but I haven't found mine to be skittish

 

[TropicanaFish]

yeah i don't know what it is, because no one has had this happen to them as far as i know 

 

[Wills]

Mine gets skitish now and again - really sudden movements near the tank can set her off.
 
As for caves I got some 9 inch drain pipe sections and cut them into 6-7 inch lengths then painted it with aquarium sealant silicone and then rolled it in sand so it blended in with the substrate again - the same can be said for gravel just need more silicone - it is very time consuming but it works and it makes them easy to hide under piles of rock and wood.
 
I use redmoore wood in my tank so its quite branchy and easy to build with. But again all sorts of things can work for it
 
I have to say as well your Severum does look like a really nice one
 
Wills

 

[TropicanaFish]

sweet thanks so much. I have another question. My sev is eating all my plants and the smaller ones haven't been able to grow. Is there something i could make to put in the tank to kind of build a cage around the plants that will allow them to grow without the fish getting to them?