Fun Gold Severum Facts For Kids

The golden severum (Heros severus), belonging to the family Cichlidae, is a popular new-world cichlid species. Its vibrant color makes it stand out in any aquarium.

It is a medium-sized cichlid that has been bred for aquarium habitats and tank habitats for a long time. They are the brighter, golden variation of the wild green severum, found in waters throughout the Amazon river basin, in South America. Gold severums (Heros severus) are semi-aggressive but are mostly peaceful when paired with similar-sized fish.

These fish require minimal effort and are a great option for beginner or moderately experienced fish owners. However, you must be careful about what you feed them as their diet must be carefully monitored.

Keep reading to know more interesting facts about this vibrant and slightly aggressive Heros severus cichlid. If you enjoy reading and learning about different types of fish, be sure to check out Severum and Lake Whitefish.

Gold Severum Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a gold severum?

A gold severum (Heros severus) is a type of fish.

What class of animal does a gold severum belong to?

Gold severums are a type of fish and belong to the class Actinopterygii.

How many gold severum are there in the world?

There have been no studies to calculate the total population of gold severums (Heros severus) in the world.

Where does a gold severum live?

The gold severum (Heros severus) does not appear in the wild. These cichlids are said to have originated from the Amazon Basin in South America. However, the gold severum (Heros severus) is said to be an aquarium and tank industry creation and are descendant of the wild green severum.

What is a gold severum's habitat?

Gold severums are found in large aquariums. The tank should be of a minimum of 100 gal (455 l) for a pair of these banded cichlids and should have fine sand, smooth gravel as well as certain structures like rocks, driftwood, and caves.

The driftwood and caves help provide areas where these cichlids can hide and also provide a spot for laying their eggs.

Who do gold severums live with?

Gold severums can live alone or in a pair in a large 100 gal (455 l) tank. They can also be paired with other cichlids and similar-sized fish.

How long does a gold severum live?

The gold severum (Heros severus) species has a lifespan of approximately 10 years.

How do they reproduce?

Both males, as well as females, become territorial during spawning and breeding. An adult male cichlid's color intensifies and darkens during breeding.

Severum cichlids reproduce in relatively warm waters. The optimum breeding temperature of the water should be between 78.8 - 80.6 F (26-27 C). Before the process of spawning and breeding starts, cichlids engage in tail slapping and lip-locking.

An adult female cichlid lays up to 1000 eggs on large flat stones, rocks, or a chunk of wood. The eggs are fertilized and guarded by the males until they hatch. The fry is usually taken inside the mouth of the parents when they are in the pre-swimming larval stage.

Once the fry becomes free-swimming, they can be given brine shrimps and crushed flake food. They are taken care of by their parents until they are six weeks old.

What is their conservation status?

The gold severum (Heros severus) species are not found in the wild and are therefore ‘Not Evaluated’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature or IUCN.

Gold Severum Fun Facts

What do gold severums look like?

Gold severums (Heros severus) have a vibrant base color of gold and red speckles throughout their body. Their body appears to be laterally compressed and is oval-shaped.

With a yellowish-white tail, dorsal fin, and bright yellow or golden fins, these fish appear to be truly stunning. Like other cichlids, they have spiny rays located behind their fins and also have a highly developed pharyngeal set of teeth in their throats.

How cute are they?

This vibrantly golden cichlid with an oval-shaped body is pleasing to the eyes and appears to be cute. They always become the center of attention in any aquarium they are in.

How do they communicate?

Cichlids have been known to communicate with each other through chemical communication. Studies also suggest that cichlids release various alarm cues when they feel threatened.

How big is a gold severum?

A gold severum is approximately 7 in (18 cm) long. They grow relatively fast and increase by an inch (a cm) every two to three months. Gold severums are seven times bigger in size than neon tetras.

How fast can a gold severum swim?

There hasn't been enough research conducted to calculate the speed of a gold severum cichlid.

How much does a gold severum weigh?

A gold severum cichlid (Heros severus) weighs about 0.35 oz (10 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no unique names to identify a male and female species of gold severum.

What would you call a baby gold severum?

A baby gold severum (Heros severus) can be referred to as fry.

What do they eat?

Gold severums are omnivores, and they usually can be fed pellets and brine shrimp as part of their diet. They can also be given different types of worms such as bloodworms, earthworms, and mealworms. A gold severum (Heros severus) also feeds on the vegetable matter such as blanched zucchini or green peas are part of their diet.

Are they dangerous?

This species of fish is usually not dangerous to humans and is less aggressive in comparison to other cichlids. The mating process, however, does include some form of wrestling to test the strength of each other as well as pushing away their tank mates to protect their larvae inside the aquarium.

Would they make a good pet?

The gold severum species are a captive-bred color morph of the green severum cichlid and are among the most popular cichlids in home aquarium setups. They are fairly easy to maintain and can make for a very pretty pet fish.

A proper freshwater aquarium setup is required for this cichlid. The tank size needs to be big enough to house these large fish.

A 45 -5o gal (205-227 l) tank is the minimum tank size required for a single fish and a tank of 100 gal (455 l) is for a pair. These fish prefer slow-moving water conditions in their tank with a water pH of 6.0.

The tank can be decorated with rocks and sunken driftwood. The oxygen level should be maintained at all times, and 10-20% of water in the aquarium or tank should be changed biweekly or weekly.

Did you know...

Gold severums usually require soft water conditions with a pH of 6.0. Severums that are bred in Florida, however, may require harder water and a higher pH range.

The anal fins and dorsal fins of male gold severums are more pointed than females. Females have a dark spot on their dorsal fins.

Adult male gold severums can often develop a nuchal hump as a result of being well-fed. This means that you must always keep an eye on their diet and feeding habits.

Aquarium setups for severums should have driftwood as it helps to lower the pH level of water and resembles the rivers of South America from where they have originated.

One nostril is located on each side of this fish. They use these nostrils to sense smells in the water. To do this, they suck the water in and rapidly expel it after 'sampling' the water for a while.

These severums bear a close resemblance to discus cichlids. However, the golden severum has a brighter color and is much smaller in size than the discus cichlid, which is a large fish approximately 12 in (30. 4) in length.

What fish can I keep with severums?

Gold severums are omnivores and can be kept with fish that are similar or larger and are semi-aggressive. The ideal tank mates to be kept with severums include different types of South American cichlids, scavenger catfish, and moonlight gourami.

Oscars like the black convict oscar cichlid can be a potential tank mate, but larger-sized oscars might not be the best option to keep with gold severum (Heros severus) cichlids.

Are severums hardy fish?

Gold severums are hardy fish, fairly easy to take care of, and require minimal effort. To ensure the well-being of these fish, they need to be provided with a large freshwater aquarium with a minimum tank size of 45-50 gal (205-227 l).

These cichlids are semi-aggressive and therefore need to be provided with ample space and should only be kept with fish that are similar in size and share the same temperament. Also, you need to make sure you feed them the correct food.

They need to be fed small amounts of food at regular intervals as feeding them in large amounts can make it hard difficult for them to digest.

They enjoy readily available vegetable matter like zucchini and green peas in their diet. A gold severum cichlid will make for an interesting and wonderful addition to your aquarium and become the centerpiece.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other fish including manta ray, or allis shad.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our gold severum coloring pages.