Turquoise Severums
New Severums Just Sitting On The Bottom - 11/26/07
I just bought 5 small turquoise Severums on Saturday. They are staying at the bottom of the tank. Is this normal? I have them in a 30 gallon tank.
< You new fish should be alert and active. The water temp should be around 80 F. Look closely for ich.-Chuck>

Golden Severum lying on side  9/27/07
Hi Please Help.
Our male golden severum has been lying on his side for a week or so. He will swim normally sometimes but just go back to lying on his side. It also looks like he is slightly paralyzed at times at his bottom fins and tail but occasionally he swims normally. Not too interested in food. 1 and a half years old. Could this be his swim bladder? We are novices.
We are going away for 5 days and have someone else to look after them. What do you suggest we do please help. Also what do you suggest to feed them.
There is also a large female golden severum in the tank.
Rob
<Hi Rob. Loss of balance when swimming can be caused by a wide range of things. There really isn't a single "swim bladder disease". That said, there are a small number of things that are believe to be common causes. The first is environment. Fish often lose their balance when conditions suddenly become poor. So check the aquarium: temperature, water quality, and water chemistry. Severums want something around 25C, pH 6.5-7.5, and hardness around 5-20 degrees dH. Second is diet. Severums are, as I hope you know, primarily herbivores. A lot of their diet should be plant material. Say, 50%. Sushi Nori, algae-based flakes and pellets, and soft vegetables such as spinach and tinned peas are all ideal. They will of course eat soft aquarium plants like Cabomba and Elodea, and there's a good argument for putting these in the aquarium to give them something to graze on. The worst thing you can do to a Severum (or any other herbivorous cichlid) is give it a diet based on animal protein, i.e., mostly standard flake, prawns, fish, etc. Low protein meaty foods, like bloodworms, are an excellent alternative and will be greedily accepted. Failure to give herbivores a plant-based diet leads to constipation as well as damage to the internal organs, and one of the classic symptoms of this is loss of balance. Finally, bacterial infections can cause loss of balance, usually once the infection has progressed to an advanced degree. In terms of first aid, raising the water temperature 5 degrees C can help, and some vets recommend adding aquarium salt at a dose of up to 1 gramme per litre. If you do decide to add salt, do so in stages. While Severum cichlids do occur in brackish water and have a high tolerance of salt, your filter bacteria will not appreciate a sudden change in salinity! Switching to some high-fibre foods will help clear out the gut, if constipation is a problem. Tinned peas seem to work well for this, and most cichlids enjoy them (especially if they're hungry!). Using an anti-internal bacteria medication, like Erythromycin, might be helpful, but this is a scattergun approach and shouldn't be done as your sole response, because there's no guarantee that this is a bacterial infection at all. Hope this helps, Neale>

Re: Golden Severum lying on side – 9/27/07
That is wonderful information. Thank you so much Neale.
I will let you know how they go. He looks a tad better this morning.
<Good luck, and hope he recovers soon. Severums are simply lovely cichlids, sadly overlooked in these days of blood parrots and the like, but still among my very favourites. Cheers, Neale>

Desperate for advice Golden Severum with puffy red fin. Env.   9/10/07
Hi There,
I have just found your website and wonder if you can help me please. My 6 yr old female golden severum has a severely red and puffy fin on her side. She is eating and swimming ok. The tank is 80 litres
<... too small>
I have another male severum and 2 small fish in the tank. We do half water changes reasonably regularly and here is some more info from our local aquarium who also doesn't know what to do as nothing has worked so far.
Water quality has always tested ok with ph, nitrate and ammonia.
<Okay?>
We have tried Aquaricycline, which is tetracycline hydrochloride. Also several fungicide and white spot remedies of malachite and formalin. Also tea tree solution.
<... I'd be monitoring your ammonia closely...>
I am really worried about my fish, the vets cant seem to help, the aquarium man doesn't know what else to do and I really hope you can help.
We haven't done a gravel change
<A gravel change?>
for sometime. We did a half water change last week and her fin became redder and worse from then but it has been like this for 2 months now.
<What is your pH, nitrate?>
Please help
Regards
Jennifer
<This fish needs more room... Likely the ambient total bacteria count here is huge... can only practically be kept low by having more space, better filtration... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/severums.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Golden severum with red puffy fin (2) Attn Bob   9/11/07 
Hello Bob thanks so much for getting back to me regarding my female 6yr old severum with the red puffy fin. I will follow your advice and get back to you on the ph and nitrate level.
<Good>
Would it be the best idea to move all the fish to another tank (at the local aquarium) while we do a full clean and gravel change
<No on the gravel changes...>
on them or do you think that would be more upsetting for them to change environments?
<In a manner of speaking, yes>
Thanks again I really appreciate your advice.
Kind Regards
Jennifer Edwards
<Read where you were referred to...http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/severums.htm
this animal's troubles are very likely environmental... Fix its world and you'll fix its health. Bob Fenner>

Re: Golden severum with red puffy fin (3)... not READING    9/12/07
Thanks Again Bob, I have read all the info you directed me to and it was excellent.
Obviously it is not a good idea to move the fish while we clean the tank 100%, too stressful.
<Yes... it is just too stressful to do this period...>
I just wanted to get one thing straight. Should we do a gravel change or not??
<What? No>
I think the whole underground filter needs a clean or replacement which means we would have to take the gravel out as well (I think?).
<... please, don't write... Read>
As you can gather I am a total novice and inherited the fish 6 years ago when I bought the house.
I just want to give them a good home and will do my best to fix their environment. Have done another half water change this morning, but the tank needs a lot more attention.
Thank you for your replies Bob.
--
Jennifer Edwards
<... The indices, search tool:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/question_page.htm...
Get a larger system, do regular partial water changes... RMF...>

Severum With Damaged Mouth  9/10/07
Hi - Thanks for much for any help you're able to give.
My 75 gallon tank is nearing the end of its cycling - yeah, I made the beginner mistake (besides the LFS knowledgeable help) and overloaded the tank early on - had a few losses, but most of the fish are coming through fine. All cichlids and one Pleco.
I was sold a Snook (supposed to have a very cool jaw) that opened so much it ate one of my small midas cichlids, and I believe half of the other (which I found alive but missing half it's body) - I did ultimately find the pieces inside of my Ario Hydor light/aeration spinnny thingie. It's possible the Snook was not to blame.
Still, around the same time, one of my Severum had it's mouth ripped off and dangling - we're talking lips, etc. - I was able to catch it (by some miracle) and put it in an isolation box, along with a little Melafix which predominately concentrated within that little floating hospital. I also put a tiny flake of food in there in case the fish had an appetite - losing one's mouth would I suppose curb it for at least a day or 10.
Anyway, some 2 weeks later, the mouth is healed - there's a small opening - no lips, etc.
I had seen it try to eat tiny bits of food - it would try, and then back off (pain?) during the healing phase. Now it seems like it doesn't even try to eat.
I've had the fish for about 3 1/2 weeks - they are all substantially larger except for this little guy who I suppose is living off his reserves. Now he's hanging out by the heater in the corner and not doing much - each day I expect to see it floating when I get into my office.
I tried to catch it a few times with the net but don't want to rip up he tank (like I did catching the Snook and returning to the LFS) - I would like to put in the floating hospital tank (breeder) along with a bit of food and just leave it to rest for a while - it probably is seriously stressed if not outright starving.
Any suggestions or advise would be greatly appreciated - I do 5 gallon changes roughly 3 times/day as time permits, ammonia has been zero for about 2 weeks, nitrites were toxic and off the chart as were nitrates, now the latter two are starting to drop (yippee)
All the other fish seem fine and I see what appears to be evidence of mating so things can't be too bad in the tank.
Water is 80 degrees, pH has gradually dropped over the past few weeks from roughly 7.4 to 6.6 though I don't want to fool with the pH - I'm hoping the water changes are making things go alright.
I have tons of plants, and tons of aeration - and as mentioned I run the Hydor (during the day) to super aerate along with the other 4 water effects going on -- thanks again!
Have a great day! Gary
<Many cichlids damage their mouths when they fight. Sometimes fungus sets in on the damaged parts and the mouth does not heal properly. I would get the nitrogenous wastes under control. The ammonia and nitrite should be zero and the nitrates should be under 25 ppm. Isolating the recovered Severum from the other fish is not a bad idea. As it tries to eat it will help break up the scar tissue and try to get the mouth tissues back to being more flexible. Offer something like worms to get him eating again.-Chuck>

Green Severum sick for a month !  8/13/07
Hi,
<Hello there>
Hope you can help with a sick 5 year old Green Severum. ( 5-7 years about )
He's about the size of a man's hand, beautiful fish. About a month ago he abruptly stopped eating and was swimming in an odd manor.
<Heeee! Manner>
( kind of jerky )
Shortly after that he was on the bottom, very dark, almost black color. It happened so fast that I figured it must be "his time ". He was really looking bad, yet all the other fish in the tank looked fine, water was fine etc. It's a 150 gallon tank with some parrot fish, another Severum, Iridescent shark, some Red hooks, all pretty docile. No fighting at all ) So rather than treat the whole tank I decided to just add some additional aquarium salt, some stress coat, and do the 1/3 water change and see what happens.
<Mmm, good moves, with the exception of your statement "more" salt... Not good to add this continuously>
I fully expected he'd die overnight. It's a month now, he still looks the same, stays in one spot, 1/2 on his side on the bottom. Sometimes swims to the other side of the bottom, but never fully swims. ) He appears to be somewhat alert, fins deteriorating a bit. Very dark black. I feel so bad for him. I can't believe he has a disease or he'd be dead by now. I did have one fish get a piece of a plastic plant stuck in his mouth recently. I caught the fish, removed it and he's fine. Got rid of that plant. I caught " Seve ", but he's much bigger and could have swallowed it. I know it's a long shot but that would explain why " the disease" has killed him already. What do you think?
<Mmm, as you say, perhaps something internal... likely not pathogenic>
No fungus, no parasites, I don't think he looks bloated and I don't see any hole in the head. Is there any broad spectrum meds I could treat the whole tank with?
<I would NOT>
Have you ever heard of a fish being X-rayed?
<Yes... have done some of this myself... for taxonomy use...>
( I know that sounds silly, but I feel so bad for this poor thing. I was going to let him just pass, but he's struggling for so long I have to try. I'm pretty sure it's not old age like I thought at first. Background, these fish have been together for many years, no fights, all other fish a fine. No new additions. Water test normal. Tank clear. If they could X-Ray him I don't think they could get it out even if it was there, could they?
Thanks so much,
Ken
<I would try catching this one fish, moving it to another cycled system and treating it with Epsom Salt... this may "move" whatever may be blocking its G.I. tract... Please read here re: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/saltusefaqs.htm
and here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/neotropcichdisfaqs.htm
Bob Fenner>

Re: Green Severum sick for a month !  8/14/07
Hi Bob,
<Ken>
Thanks for getting back to me.
Can you give me an idea of how much Epson's Salt to add per gallon? I read much of the link you gave me, but still not sure, is Aquarium Salt the "same" or just as good as Epson Salt ?
<... Epsom, Magnesium Sulfate... is posted...>
If this fish did swallow a plastic plant top about the size of an erasure, do you think there is any chance he might pass it? Especially after a month?
<Always hope... with caring, action>
I've never had a fish recover from looking this bad before, unless it was because of an injury. However I've also never had a fish "sick" this long and not get better, worse, or die. It's very odd.
Thanks so much for you advice.
ken
<Read on. BobF>

Severum With Seizure   3/21/07
I acquired a 5 year old female severum over a month ago who was fed only flakes and water quality was poor.  The male had just died. I did a water change and started feeding her peas and bloodworms plus pellets.  She loved them.  
About 4 days ago, she quit eating.  I noticed she would twitch sometimes.  This morning she went into a seizure, swam up and hit the glass, sunk to the bottom and died.  I am devastated!  What caused her to have a seizure?  
< Usually parasites attacking the internal organs and nervous system cause these violent bouts of the fish jumping all over the tank.-Chuck>
 

Need help!!! Severum sick with large sore that won't heal...   12/10/06 Hi. <<Hello. Tom with you.>> I acquired an 8-inch green severum from a pet store where he was suffering from ick.   <<A healthy, stress-free fish is highly unlikely to come down with Ich. The purchase was an act of mercy on your part, perhaps?>> The ick has cleared up but he has since developed a large sore on his side.   <<May have been the root cause leading to the Ich infestation, or a result of it, even if the sore wasn’t clearly visible at the time.>> It is increasingly getting worse (red is showing thru now) even after I was advised to use tetracycline along with MelaFix and PimaFix.   <<This is too much medication at one time, in my opinion. It’s likely to be keeping your new pet stressed even more. Also, Tetracycline has a couple of shortcomings that, as a Cichlid owner, you need to be aware of. First, Tetracyclines are light sensitive and turn brown as they decompose. Second, they bind with calcium and magnesium, found in harder water conditions that Cichlids are frequently kept in, rendering them useless medicinally.>> I have salt in the water and the temp is at around 90 degrees to keep the ick in check.   <<Okay.>> I do water changes everyday to keep the tank clean. <<How large? On the surface this may seem appropriate but daily water changes without an overwhelmingly compelling reason such as high ammonia or nitrite levels can be counterproductive to the health/well-being of the beneficial bacteria and, ultimately, your fish. Are more medications being added with these changes? If so, we’re back to potential stress-related issues.>> He is currently being medicated in a 20g tank. <<Very good.>> He hasn't eaten anything since I brought him home. <<Almost certainly stress-related here.>> I am attaching a picture of the sore.  Sorry for the quality of the picture but the medication in the water conceals the true image. Thank you so much for anything you can advise. <<My recommendation would be to stop medicating your Severum. I’m suspicious that the coloration of the water is the Tetracycline decomposing. By way of explanation, medications, in and of themselves, don’t cure. They merely “control” until the fish’s own immune system kicks into gear and facilitates the actual healing process. This isn’t going to take place until the fish is free of stress, whatever the cause. Stick with the salt and higher temperatures for now and keep the light levels low in the tank. Also, make sure the tank is well-aerated. Warm water holds less oxygen than cooler water and it’s imperative that the fish isn’t struggling for oxygen right now. With good care and a spot of luck, this will turn itself around and your fish will return to good health. Best of luck to you and your pet. Tom>>

Re: Need help!!! Severum sick with large sore that wont heal...   12/11/06 Thank you for the advice Tom. It is much appreciated. <<You’re quite welcome, April.>> After doing a water change to get the deteriorating tetracycline out, and adding a filter with some charcoal to get out the remnants, this morning he ate for the very first time. I was so ecstatic!! <<Who wouldn’t be? I’m happy for both of you!>> I shouldn't get my hopes up quite yet, but that certainly is a sign his stress factor went down alot. <<Certainly heading in the right direction, April.>> I am doing what you suggested and just keep salt in there and temp up. He has two filters for circulation and two airstones for oxygen. He is acting normal again and taking quite an interest in his reflection (flaring) unlike before with all the meds, he would sit in the corner and sulk. <<All sounds great.>> I will keep you updated on his progress. <<I’d appreciate it very much if you would.>> Thank you again so much. April <<Once again, you’re welcome. Best regards, April. Tom>>

Re: Need help!!! Severum sick with large sore that wont heal...(Happy follow-up)  2/18/07 Hi Tom!!   <<Hi, April. Good to hear from you!>> I promised you an update on my severum, since named Ichybod :), and here it is...he didn’t seem to be doing well in the smaller tank I had him in so I moved him to my 55g planted tank where I had lots of plants (not expensive ones) he could chew on from time to time and have more room.   <<I like the move you made here, April.>> I must say, he has totally healed. The open sore has since closed and now his tissue has regenerated so that it matches the rest of his body. You can also see bars forming when he gets angry at a plant or something lol.   <<Wonderful news!>> I am sorry I no longer have a camera to take a photo of him but your advice to me was a godsend. You saved his life. I will forever be grateful to you and wetweb media for helping me save him with the proper advice I needed. <<Thank you most kindly, April. Don’t forget to give yourself a lot of credit, though. I merely offered advice. You did the “hard” part. :) >> The story behind acquiring the fish was that I found him suffering in a "drop off tank" at my local fish store where he was housed with a largemouth bass and a Tilapia butikoferi who was beating him relentless. he was covered in ick and suffering. <<The store might have put him in with an even worse tank mate, April, but not a lot worse! Ichybod couldn’t have lasted much longer without your kind intervention.>> I know it was a huge decision on my part to try and rescue him and I am glad that I did (with your help).  He is a beautiful fish and sadly must have been someone’s beloved pet at one time or another.  Thank you again for all your help. You are the best!! <<It’s posts like yours that brighten my day, April. Thanks a million for the follow-up. My best to you and Ichybod! Tom>>

Old Severum Bloating Up    11/27/06
Hello, I have a 12 year old banded Severum that has recently begun to show signs of deterioration. His dorsal fins are breaking. He is breathing hard (we think) - he constantly opens and closes his mouth as if hungry. I say this because I believe that he isn't eating enough- we feed him but he doesn't eat, and I believe it is because he can't see the food- it floats past him. He must be eating something or I think he would have passed away by now. Can fish go blind? He is now also swollen on his underside and we have no idea what is causing this. Is there anything we can do for him- he's been a part of the family for so many years?- Thank you!
< Your old Severum is sick with an internal infection. Because of his age and advanced stages of the disease he may not make it. Do a 50% water change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Treat with a combination of Metronidazole and Nitrofurazone. Good luck.-Chuck>

Please Help...Gold Severum is sick!   11/24/06
Good Afternoon
<<Hi, Geri. Tom here.>>
OK, I am new to this site and so far have found it very helpful.
<<Welcome and I’m glad to hear we’ve been of some assistance.>>
I have a fish that I thought was a goldfish (won it at a carnival about 5 yrs ago). He was in my tank with another fish. There was never a heater in there and I just fed it tropical flakes. Well, the other fish started turning black and then died.
<<What kind of “other” fish? Other than normal changes in coloration, the most common cause of “blackening” is exposure to ammonia and/or nitrites which causes burns. As the healing process takes over, the burned flesh turns black. It’s also possible that low pH and high nitrate levels can cause the same problem.>>
I took the dead fish to a store along with pictures of the fish I have now. They informed me it was a Gold Severum, not a goldfish.
<<Hello? That’s the most upscale "carnival" fish I’ve heard of yet. :) >>
I asked what is compatible with them and she told me parrot fish.
<<Among others…>>
I bought 2 parrot fish and then put them with this Gold Severum. She told me I needed to get a heater in there and slowly up it every few days to get to about a 78 degree temperature...OK, so my problem is this...My Gold Severum looks very sick. It has (I think from reading your sight) Ick...It also looks like his fins are chewed up.
<<The advice you got on adding the heater is sound enough on the surface. It doesn’t take into account, however, that your Severum had been acclimated for five years to an unheated environment. Extra aeration via an air stone or two is needed since warmer water holds less oxygen. The Parrots were added, I assume without quarantine. You don’t say whether, or not, any acclimation procedures were followed prior to placing these in with the Severum. I can only surmise that water that the Parrots were transported in might have been introduced into the tank. Last, an adult Severum is a good-sized fish but you don’t mention how large the tank is. Any, or all, of these factors can contribute to stress which your pet is certainly suffering from. For now, it would be best to begin a regimen of treatment with aquarium salt to handle the Ich problem and likely the fin rot as well. Two to three tablespoons of salt per five gallons of tank water is recommended. Raise the tank temperature to 80 degrees but no higher at this point. The mid-80’s would be more appropriate for fighting Ich as it speeds up the parasite’s life cycle but higher temperatures may contribute to even more stress right now.>>
The two parrot fish hide so I never see them...
<<Not all that unusual. These are typically shy animals.>>
The Gold Severum used to be very active and now stays at bottom of tank right near the heater and seems to gasp for air.
<<Again, due to stress and, probably, lower oxygen levels.>>
The fish don’t seem to be eating the food anymore either. The parrot fish seems to be turning a little black.
<<Lack of appetite can be expected. The coloration changes in the Parrots is probably somewhat normal provided it doesn’t go to an extreme. All things being equal, this will likely fade away in a fairly short time. It may repeat this process from time to time, too.>>
I took the water to go get tested and they said it is fine.
<<”Fine” isn’t very descriptive for you or for us, unfortunately. As I mentioned earlier, low pH coupled with high nitrates (over 20 ppm) can be problematic in some cases. Might appear “fine” if other factors aren’t taken into consideration but could provide a clue as to what’s going on in your tank.>>
I think something was wrong with the food. It is the same thing the Gold Severum has always eaten. I just got a new container about a week before the original fish died.....So please if you have any advise I would appreciate it...THANKS a MILLION !!
<<The food issue might simply be coincidental but I’d replace it nonetheless. Let’s eliminate as many possibilities as we can. Also, you need to change up on the diet to provide variety. Fish need a variety of foods in order to thrive. A monotonous diet of even high quality food can lead to problems in the long run. Make sure that you keep up with regular water changes to optimize the conditions your fish live in. I really can’t over-emphasize this. Under ideal conditions, fish are FAR less likely to become subject to disease/infestation. By far, it’s the best thing you can do for your guys.>>
Geri
<<Don’t be shy about following up with us, Geri, even if the information doesn’t seem overly significant. The more detail you provide, the easier it is for us to help. Best regards. Tom>>