Shops list this one as gold severum or gold banded cichlid. The same fish turns up under both Heros severus and Heros efasciatus on price lists. Color runs from pale butter to deep amber depending on the line, and juveniles are much plainer than the adults they become. Adult males carry more red squiggling on the face, which is still the everyday way keepers sex them.
In the wild
The gold form is a tank-bred color line of the wild green severum and does not occur in the Amazon. It has been in the trade for decades, but no breeder, country or decade is on record. That makes it a hobby line of uncertain origin. Nearly all stock in shops now comes from commercial farms rather than collection.
Good to know
Gold is a xanthic line: dark pigment is reduced, so the wild bars and the blotch near the tail fade or vanish. Yellow stays, and the eye remains dark, so this is not an albino. Breeders report the trait as recessive, meaning gold to gold breeds true while gold crossed to a green gives normal looking carriers.
Did you know
The name on the tag is a taxonomy argument in miniature. Almost every severum in the trade, gold ones included, is Heros efasciatus. The true Heros severus is a rounder headed fish that is rare in shops, and some sellers print both names on one label.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
Gold severum is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.
11.8 in (30 cm)58 gal (220 L)72–84°F (22–29°C)
7.9 in (20 cm)106 gal (400 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
7.9 in (20 cm)75 gal (285 L)79–86°F (26–30°C)
11.8 in (30 cm)119 gal (450 L)77–86°F (25–30°C)
11.8 in (30 cm)74 gal (280 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
11 in (28 cm)92 gal (350 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)