Red Spotted Severum

The red-spotted severum is a selectively bred color form of Heros efasciatus, the Amazonian cichlid usually just called the severum. Breeders have fixed a pattern of red speckling over the body in place of the wild fish's olive-green, barred look, but the animal underneath is the same large, disc-shaped riverine cichlid. Adults commonly reach around 20 cm, occasionally larger, and can live ten years or more with good care.

For its size the severum is surprisingly even-tempered, which is part of its appeal. Outside of breeding it is fairly mild and works well in a community of other large, peaceful South American fish, such as bigger tetras, peaceful catfish and similarly calm cichlids. It is not safe with anything small enough to swallow, including shrimp and dwarf fish. A lone severum kept with no company of its own kind can turn moody as it matures, so a bonded pair or a settled group usually behaves better than a single fish.

Severums are unfussy omnivores that, unusually for a cichlid, eat a lot of fruit and plant matter in the flooded forest, so a good diet pairs quality pellets with vegetable foods like blanched greens and peas. They prefer soft, slightly acidic water around 24 to 29°C. Pairs spawn on a cleaned flat rock or broad leaf and guard the eggs and fry together, which makes a mature pair one of the more rewarding large cichlids to watch over time.