Severum

Hailing from the blackwater rivers of South America, particularly the Orinoco and Amazon basins, severums are chunky, laterally compressed cichlids that carry themselves with a quiet dignity most fishkeepers find irresistible. The disc-shaped body and subtle iridescence across their scales genuinely does evoke a budget discus, and that comparison has stuck for decades. Color varieties have expanded well beyond the wild-type green form. Gold, red, and rotkeil severums are all widely available, with the rotkeil being especially striking thanks to its red-splashed face and fins against a green body. Adults reach a genuine 20cm in a home aquarium, which surprises people who bought a 5cm juvenile from a pet store without doing their homework.

Water parameters are forgiving by South American cichlid standards. They'll do fine anywhere from pH 6.0 to 7.5, and they don't demand the ultra-soft conditions that discus require. Temperature can range from about 23 to 30 degrees Celsius, making them compatible with a wider range of tankmates. Filtration needs to be robust given their size and appetite. Weekly water changes of 30 to 40 percent are non-negotiable.

Diet is broad. They'll eat quality cichlid pellets, spirulina-based foods, frozen bloodworms, chopped earthworms, blanched vegetables, and occasional live foods. Feeding variety keeps them healthy and reduces plant nibbling.

Temperament is peaceful by cichlid standards most of the time, but breeding pairs rewrite the rules entirely. Browse actual tank builds featuring this species and you'll see how good aquascaping choices can make sharing a large community setup with severums genuinely achievable.