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Variety of Severum

Red spotted severum

Heros efasciatus

One of 5 varieties of Heros efasciatus · See all varieties →

Also known as Super red severum, Red spot gold severum

FreshwaterFish

Red spotted severum (Heros efasciatus)

Varieties · Heros efasciatus

See all 5 →

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–84°F
22–29°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
11.8 in
30 cm
Minimum tank
65 gal
245 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Substrate spawner · Hard
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cichlidae

Overview

The red spotted severum is a gold severum with dense red speckling, sold as a step up from the plain gold. It is a mostly peaceful cichlid for a large community tank, best with some experience.

Did you know

Severum color deepens for a long time after the fish leaves the farm. A red spotted juvenile can pass for a plain gold for months before the spots fill in. That is why shop tanks so often look nothing like the photo on the tag.

Caring for the red spotted severum

A pair of red spotted severums needs at least 65 gal (245 L), with open water in the middle and sturdy cover at the sides. Use sand or fine gravel with driftwood and a few rocks. They dig and graze soft plants, so stick to potted or anchored anubias and Java fern, or skip plants.

Keep the water soft to neutral, at 72 to 84°F (22 to 29°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Feed quality pellets alongside blanched vegetables, peas and spirulina. Add frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp too.

Red spotted severums are mostly peaceful for their size, and they do well alone or in a group. Choose calm tank mates too large to swallow, such as larger tetras, Geophagus and plecos. A bonded pair can also hold a tank by itself.

Pairs turn territorial around a spawn and lay their eggs on a cleaned flat surface. Both parents fan the eggs and herd the fry. Breeding them is hard.

Good to know

The red spotted severum is the same xanthic gold fish, with its red pigment cells gathered into spots instead of spread evenly. Shops also sell it as the super red or red spot gold severum. It is a selected look rather than one documented mutation, so spawns come out uneven and siblings rarely match. Breeders grade every generation on how densely the speckling covers the flanks and unpaired fins. Spot density varies a lot between suppliers, and two fish sold under the same name can differ sharply.

In the wild

The red spotted severum was worked up from the gold severum by selecting for red pigment, and it was never collected anywhere. No breeder, country or decade is on record for the line, so treat it as a hobby selection of uncertain origin. Wild severums are green with dark bars and carry no spotting like this.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The red spotted 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.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

Is a red spotted severum a different species from the severum?

No. A red spotted 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 red spotted severum need?

A red spotted severum needs at least 65 gal (245 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What does a red spotted severum eat?

A red spotted severum eats quality pellets with blanched vegetables, peas and spirulina. It also takes frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp, and it grazes soft plants.

How big does a red spotted severum get?

An adult red spotted severum reaches about 11.8 in (30 cm).

How does a red spotted severum breed?

Red spotted severum pairs lay their eggs on a cleaned flat surface and turn territorial around the spawn. Both parents fan the eggs and herd the fry, and breeding them is hard.

Related species