Severum tank mates
Severum tank mates look easy in shop tanks and thin out at adult size. The live engine currently marks no GOOD companions on this hub — every listed neighbour is caution or avoid. Boesemani rainbows, cories, angels, and large dither fish can be situational in a tall soft-water show tank, but they are not a starter community list. Chili rasboras and ember tetras sit in avoid for mouth size and pace. Plan a real centrepiece footprint (honestly 200L+), soft-to-medium water, and pair-check every caution name before you stock “something for the middle.”
Common mistakePutting a severum in a delicate planted show tank is how keepers invent methodical uprooting and missing stems within weeks. They eat and rearrange plants. Use tough attachments like Java fern or anubias on wood, or run a hardscape-first layout — aquascape carpets are not severum décor.
Each name below opens a pair check with Severum. That check is the decision, not the list itself.
Usually safer companions
Conservative shortlist from this profile. Open a pair page before you buy.
None listed here. Use the pair checker with species you are considering.
Risky or situational
May work with more water, a mature system, or a species-only setup. Read the pair page before you experiment.
Angelfish is flagged predatory. Equal-size adults usually coexist, but the moment one is stressed, sick, or smaller after a moult, it becomes prey. Both species defend territory. The pairing needs a long footprint and rockwork or planting that breaks the sightline between two defended spots. Angelfish is rated semi-aggressive, so expect chasing, fin damage, or display behaviour directed at Severum. Run the pair checker before stocking.
Bala / silver shark reaches 35cm and is flagged predatory or as likely to eat small fish. Adult-size Severum at 20cm is inside that gape range. Run the pair checker before stocking.
Marked risky or situational on the profile. Tank length and group size change the outcome more than a temperament label does.
Marked risky or situational on the profile. Tank length and group size change the outcome more than a temperament label does.
Both species defend territory. The pairing needs a long footprint and rockwork or planting that breaks the sightline between two defended spots. Run the pair checker before stocking.
Electric Blue Acara is flagged predatory. Equal-size adults usually coexist, but the moment one is stressed, sick, or smaller after a moult, it becomes prey. Both species defend territory. The pairing needs a long footprint and rockwork or planting that breaks the sightline between two defended spots. Electric Blue Acara is rated semi-aggressive, so expect chasing, fin damage, or display behaviour directed at Severum. Run the pair checker before stocking.
Marked risky or situational on the profile. Tank length and group size change the outcome more than a temperament label does.
Marked risky or situational on the profile. Tank length and group size change the outcome more than a temperament label does.
Fish to avoid with Severum
Predation, aggression, or space rules on this profile. Treat these as poor default mixes.
Severum is flagged as predatory or as likely to eat small fish, and Chili Rasbora at 2cm is well within an adult Severum's gape.
Severum is flagged as predatory or as likely to eat small fish, and Ember Tetra at 2cm is well within an adult Severum's gape.
Tank size and groups
- Published minimum for Severum: 250L. Group minimum 1 .
- Compatibility changes when the tank is too short for turning, too little for a real school, or too warm for one species and not the other. That is why pair checks include tank context, not only temperament.
- Nearest litre hub to this minimum: 250L hub.
Easier alternatives to consider
Hardier first-tank names from the library. Still read the profile. Not a substitute for reading this one.
Plan before you buy
Start a pair check with Severum, or open a starter plan with the top safer companions in the builder.
Tank hubs: 250L
Related reading
Guides that list other fish with the same trait, so you can plan around the group rather than one row.
- Fish that eat smaller tank mates →
Severum may eat anything that fits in its mouth as it grows.
Filtration & heating
A 250L minimum tank for Severum needs a filter rated for at least 1000L/hr turnover and a heater maintaining 24–30°C.
Similar fish (same category)
- African Cichlid · min 200L
- Convict cichlid · min 200L
- Discus · min 200L
- Firemouth Cichlid · min 200L
- Green Terror · min 300L
- Jack Dempsey · min 200L
- Keyhole cichlid · min 200L
- Oscar · min 300L
Related (care + temperament)
Featured compatibility checks
Curated pair pages for Severum. Each opens a full verdict — not just a list label.
Severum tank mates — quick answers
- What fish can live with Severum?
- This hub has no “usually safer” (GOOD) companions for Severum. Workable neighbours sit in caution — for example Angelfish, Bala / silver shark, Boesemani Rainbowfish, Corydoras Catfish, Dwarf Gourami, Electric Blue Acara. Treat every name as a pair check, not a shopping list. Severum tank mates look easy in shop tanks and thin out at adult size.
- What tank mates should you avoid with Severum?
- Avoid Chili Rasbora, Ember Tetra based on size, temperament, or predation risk on this profile.
- What size tank do Severum need for a community?
- 250L is the planning floor for adult swimming space and bioload. A 300L+ tank is the more comfortable long-term footprint. Length and depth matter as much as raw litres for active or territorial fish.