fish · Cichlidae
Banded cichlid
Heros severus
Wild range: Upper Rio Negro (Amazon basin) and upper Orinoco drainage (FishBase; Aquarist Atlas; Wikipedia). (South America)
At a glance: Banded cichlid care
Compiled reference information. Review the care notes and original sources below.
What temperature is listed for Banded cichlid?
The compiled profile lists 23.0–29.0 °C for Banded cichlid (Heros severus). Check the original sources below for context and differing recommendations.
What tank size is listed for Banded cichlid?
The profile lists a minimum tank volume of 79.3 US gallons (300.0 liters). Volume alone does not establish suitability; consider dimensions, group size and other inhabitants alongside the full care notes.
What pH is listed for Banded cichlid?
The compiled profile lists a pH of 5.0–6.5. Review the cited care sources alongside the other water parameters in this profile.
Natural habitat
The true severum: a deep-bodied, disc-shaped blackwater cichlid from the upper Rio Negro and upper Orinoco, and the type species of the genus Heros. It looks very like the common green or gold severum of the shops, but almost all store 'severums' are Heros efasciatus (see our Severum page) or farm strains. True H. severus turns up mainly as wild imports on specialist lists. It is calm for its size, but it grows large and needs soft, acidic water and a big tank.
Where they are found
Heros severus Heckel, 1840 is valid in ITIS (TSN 169895), GBIF and Catalog of Fishes, and is the type species of Heros. Older combination: Cichlasoma severum. Trade overlap: for decades 'Heros severus' / 'Cichlasoma severum' was used for every severum in the hobby. Kullander's work on Heros (from his 1986 redescription through the 2003 South American checklist and later revisions) restricted H. severus to the upper Rio Negro and upper Orinoco and recognised Heros efasciatus Heckel, 1840 (the widespread Amazon fish behind most green, gold, red-shoulder and turquoise trade forms, listed as its own catalog entry), H. notatus and H. spurius as separate valid species. Staeck & Schindler (2015) then described the Orinoco mouthbrooding 'severum' as Heros liberifer, which lives alongside true H. severus. Those are separate species, so they are named here rather than listed as aliases. Wikipedia notes that true H. severus was briefly traded as Heros sp. 'Curare' or 'Tiger severum' before it was matched to Heckel's 1840 description. Native to Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela; an introduced population is reported from Florida (Aquarist Atlas). FishBase gives a wild maximum of 20 cm SL (common length 13.5 cm TL). IUCN: Least Concern (assessed 2020, per FishBase and Aquarist Atlas).
Aquarium care
Give an adult at least about 300 L / 80 US gal with a tank of 150 cm (5 ft) or longer, and plan on 450 L / 120 US gal or more for a pair or group (Atlarium; AquaInfo; Fishipedia; Aquarist Atlas). Use sand with plenty of driftwood and roots to break up sightlines and give the fish vertical spawning surfaces. Keep the water warm, soft and acidic: 23-29°C, pH 5.0-6.5 and about 1-6 dGH. Wild fish do best in tannin-stained blackwater, and aquarium-bred fish may tolerate up to about pH 7-7.5 (FishBase; Fishipedia; Aquarist Atlas; Atlarium; AquaInfo). It is a heavy feeder that produces a lot of waste, so use strong but gentle filtration and change water often (Atlarium; Aquarist Atlas).
Feeding
Omnivore with a strong taste for plant matter. Use a good cichlid pellet or spirulina-based food as the staple, add blanched greens such as peas, spinach or zucchini, and offer frozen or live foods such as bloodworm, brine shrimp, mysis and chopped earthworm as extras. It will eat soft aquarium plants (Atlarium; AquaInfo; Aquarist Atlas; Fishipedia).
Compatibility
Fairly peaceful for a large cichlid outside spawning, but territorial while breeding and able to eat small fish. Keep it with similar-sized, calm South American fish such as Geophagus and Satanoperca eartheaters, angelfish, larger peaceful characins like silver dollars, and peaceful catfish. Avoid small tetras and very aggressive or fin-nipping cichlids (Aquarist Atlas; Fishipedia; AquaInfo; Atlarium). Do not keep it with other Heros species, to avoid hybrids (Fishipedia).
Breeding
Pairs are choosy, so raise a small group and let the fish pair off naturally. A bonded pair cleans a vertical or sloping surface such as wood or stone, lays the eggs, and both parents guard the eggs and fry. Breeding is helped by warmer water at the top of the range and heavy feeding. Fry take brine shrimp nauplii or fine powdered food. Remove other fish once a pair starts spawning (AquaInfo; Aquarist Atlas; FishBase; Fishipedia).
Sources
Compiled from multiple independent care sheets — not copied from a single site.