Golden Severum

1 Golden Severum Overview

Pineapple cichlids divide into two common varieties: the Golden Severum and the Green Severum. Here we focus on the Golden Severum. It is gentle, easy to keep, not picky but with a big appetite.

Subclass: Actinopterygii

Binomial: Cichlasoma severum

Species: Golden Severum

Chinese name: Golden Severum

Family: Cichlidae

Order: Perciformes

Class: Osteichthyes

Phylum: Chordata

Kingdom: Animalia

Genus: Cichlasoma

Subphylum: Vertebrata

Suborder: Labroidei

2 Appearance

The Golden Severum is mainly found in Brazil and Guyana, native to the Amazon basin, a Cichlasoma fish and a pineapple cichlid variety. What are its features?

The Golden Severum is a large egg-laying tropical fish, big-bodied, up to 20 cm, with large eyes showing a yellow-green-red luster, a small mouth with a red spot at the tip, and from the dorsal-fin end to the tail a dark cross-stripe like pineapple, hence the name. Also called new blue-head, new blue firemouth, western splashing fish, spotted-eye perch, etc. Variants include white, blue, green and red-eyed golden severum. Color varies with age to pale yellow, bronze, olive-green; males are more colorful than females.

3 Habitat

The Golden Severum is a common ornamental fish, easy to keep and not demanding about water. But note it digs substrate, requiring attention.

1. Water quality: it adapts well, not as demanding as the parrot fish, but keep its preferred water for yellow color. Large Golden Severums like weakly acidic soft water; never use alkaline or hard water or the color turns white.

2. Temperature: less than fry need; 22–30°C all support good growth, but 26°C+ for faster growth.

3. Coloration: start at 6 cm; don’t wait until over ten cm. Unlike the parrot (red-enhancing), the Golden Severum enhances both red and yellow. Use fish roe (yellow), river shrimp (red/color), color-enhancing pellets. Long-term fish roe feeding yields yellower fish; shrimp strongly enhance the red eye-ring and red stripes.

4. Mixing: a gentle large fish; avoid mixing with overly aggressive large fish (e.g., Flowerhorn, Red Devil) or the fins are repeatedly torn beyond recovery, hurting ornamental value.

4 Feeding

Fry are harder to keep than adults, shown in feeding. Always consider the fish’s age. Reference articles for what to feed.

1. Fry

Fry dislike dry food and grow slowly on it. Some use red worms, fast but unhygienic, causing blood-fin and ich. Use frozen bloodworms or fish roe. Roe of crucian, carp or grass carp works—save roe when preparing fish. Scald a large pouch of roe with 80°C water, refrigerate, feed with a spoon; fry love it and color well.

2. Adults

Adults are less picky: pellets, bloodworms, roe, shrimp, mealworms, chicken/duck liver all accepted and eaten to fullness. But they love mealworms most and grow fastest on them.