Green Deacon – 5cm

Green Deacons (Severum) are not a difficult fish to keep but does require a lot of tank maintenance in the form of regular water changes. Provide them with rocks or wood for hiding places. They develop great green and gold colorations.

An air stone should be used in the aquascape, as severum require an oxygen rich environment but prefer a slow water current. Adding Lava Rocks will keep nitrates in the ideal range. This species is relatively hardy, but cannot handle many stressors such as pH, temperature, and high levels of NO3 (nitrate) / NO2 (nitrite) so regular water changes are necessary to guarantee longevity.

Severum do not need gravel, and a layer of gravel more than 1/4″ thick will usually fill with bits of uneaten food that will contaminate the water. They are omnivores and will accept cichlid pellets, insects, brine shrimp, blackworms, ghost shrimp, spirulina flakes, and daphnia.

These fish do not do well with live plants because they dig and will often uproot plants. Floating plants or potted plants with rocks on top of the gravel is a good way to incorporate live plants. Some of our beautiful plastic plants will also add to the decor and be safe.

Aquarium Diet: Premium Fish Food Pellets are the best food for Cichlids to eat. It’s best to feed them small pellets when they’re small, and then gradually increase the size of the pellets, as they grow bigger. They will also appreciate treats of blood worms, beef heart, and glass worms.

Compatibility:

Some possible tankmates may include oscars if the severum are larger, uaru cichlids, tinfoil barbs, Synodontis species, acara cichlids, silver dollars and eartheater cichlids such as Satanoperca jurupari.