TankBud

Eyespot severum

Heros liberifer

Also known as Mouthbrooding severum, Red belly severum

FreshwaterFish

Eyespot severum (Heros liberifer)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–82°F
24–28°C
pH
4.1–6.1
Adult size
7.9 in
20 cm
Minimum tank
106 gal
400 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Mouthbrooder · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cichlidae
Origin
Orinoco blackwaters, Venezuela

Overview

The eyespot severum is a tall, disc-shaped blackwater cichlid that holds the middle water among tall wood. It drifts rather than dashes, and keeping it well takes a little experience.

Did you know

For years aquarists kept the eyespot severum as an unnamed oddity, passing it around as a curiosity. It was finally described and given a scientific name in 2015.

Caring for the eyespot severum

Keep the eyespot severum as a single fish or a bonded pair rather than a group. A pair needs at least 106 gal (400 L), with driftwood, leaf litter, a tannin stain and dim light.

This fish genuinely needs soft, acidic water rather than merely tolerating it. Hold it at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) and a pH of 4.1 to 6.1, with calm, gentle filtration.

The eyespot severum leans herbivore, so feed plenty of vegetable matter, spirulina and blanched greens. Add pellets and frozen foods alongside them.

It is mostly peaceful but grows large and gets protective when breeding. Choose calm, soft-water companions of a size it cannot swallow, and keep them clear of the pair at spawning time.

Unlike the familiar open-spawning severums, it is a larvophile mouthbrooder. The pair spawns on a surface, then takes the hatched young into the mouth to brood them. Breeding sits at a moderate level of difficulty.

Good to know

The eyespot severum, Heros liberifer, is a cichlid in the family Cichlidae. Its species name means bearer of free young, which matches how it raises its fry.

In the wild

Heros liberifer comes from the still blackwaters of the upper and middle Orinoco in Venezuela, especially flooded forest. The water there is warm, very soft and strongly acidic.

Common questions

What size tank does an eyespot severum need?

An eyespot severum needs at least 106 gal (400 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does an eyespot severum need?

An eyespot severum is comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 4.1–6.1.

What does an eyespot severum eat?

An eyespot severum leans herbivore, so it eats plenty of vegetable matter, spirulina and blanched greens. Pellets and frozen foods round out its diet.

How big does an eyespot severum get?

An adult eyespot severum reaches about 7.9 in (20 cm).

How does an eyespot severum breed?

The eyespot severum is a larvophile mouthbrooder. The pair spawns on a surface, then takes the hatched young into the mouth to brood them, and breeding is moderately difficult.

Related species