The gold severum is a yellow form of the severum, a mostly peaceful cichlid for the middle of a large community tank. It is a step up from the easiest fish.
Did you know
The name on a gold severum's 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.
Caring for the gold severum
Give a pair of gold severums at least 65 gal (245 L). Leave open water in the middle and sturdy cover along the sides. Sand or fine gravel, driftwood and a few rocks make a good base. They dig and graze soft plants, so use anubias and Java fern, potted or anchored, or leave the tank bare.
Run soft to neutral water at 72 to 84°F (22 to 29°C), with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Feed quality pellets with blanched vegetables, peas and spirulina, and add frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp.
Gold severums are mostly peaceful for their size and do fine alone or in a group. Keep them with calm fish too large to swallow, such as larger tetras, Geophagus and plecos. A bonded pair can hold a tank on its own.
Adult males carry more red squiggling on the face, which is still the everyday way keepers sex them. A pair turns territorial around a spawn and lays on a cleaned flat surface. Both parents fan the eggs and herd the fry, and breeding them is hard.
Good to know
The gold severum also goes by gold banded cichlid on shop lists. Gold is a xanthic line, with reduced dark pigment, so the wild bars and the blotch near the tail fade or vanish. Yellow stays and the eye remains dark, so it is not an albino. Color runs from pale butter to deep amber depending on the line, and juveniles are much plainer than the adults they become. Breeders report the trait as recessive, so gold to gold breeds true. A gold crossed to a green gives normal-looking carriers.
In the wild
The gold severum 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.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
The 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.
Is a gold severum a different species from the severum?
No. A gold severum is a variety of the severum, Heros efasciatus, and it wants the same tank, water and food as the species.
What size tank does a gold severum need?
A gold severum needs at least 65 gal (245 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What does a gold severum eat?
A gold severum eats quality pellets with blanched vegetables, peas and spirulina, plus frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp. It also grazes soft plants in the tank.
How big does a gold severum get?
An adult gold severum reaches about 11.8 in (30 cm).
How can you tell a male gold severum from a female?
Males carry more red squiggling on the face once they are adults. That is still the everyday way keepers sex gold severums.
How does a gold severum breed?
Gold severum pairs turn territorial around a spawn and lay on a cleaned flat surface. Both parents fan the eggs and herd the fry, and breeding them is hard.
11.8 in (30 cm)119 gal (450 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
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)