Heros sp. 'Curare' - potentially the real Heros severus
- Thread starter ryansmith83
- Start date
The male is about 10 - 11”, the female is maybe 8”? They are large fish. The tank is a 220g (72” x 24” x 30”).
They hatched, and now the parents have moved them to the center of the tank and hidden them under a flowerpot. It's making their lives a lot more miserable because they have to defend against fish from both sides now, and their tankmates are miserable because they can't so much as move without being attacked. On top of all that, hiding the fry underneath the pot means I can't get to them to siphon any out. It's a real mess all the way around. It's almost like they're being difficult on purpose. 
I'm trying to have zero expectations this time, and maybe it'll go better than previous failed attempts at growing out this species.
I'm trying to have zero expectations this time, and maybe it'll go better than previous failed attempts at growing out this species.
Three weeks free-swimming as of yesterday.
That is awesome! You did a fantastic job. Looks like all the fry survived.
For the first week I lost probably 5 - 10 a day but I think there were just so many that it’s normal to lose some that are defective or sickly. I’ve experienced that with other cichlids too.
So far I don’t see any of the weird behavior that I’ve experienced in all my other dozens of batches of severus. It’s a bit early still, so I guess things could go wrong, but I feel better about this batch. I’d guess another 7 weeks and they should be 1 - 1.5” and I will try to wean them onto tap water.
We're slowly getting there. These Heros severus F1 fry are just shy of 6 weeks free-swimming and they're starting to look like little severus now. They're 3/4 - 1" long. They're growing a bit slower than most of the Heros fry that I raise but it could be due to the very low pH and almost zero hardness. I am adding liquid calcium and Epsom salt (magnesium) with each water change to ensure proper bone and fin development.
They are also taking longer to switch to prepared foods. They spit out most of the dried crushed pellets and granules I'm offering, so I am hatching tons of brine to make sure they're getting enough to eat. Usually by 6 weeks I have them weaned to non-live food.
I attached a crappy quality picture of a single fry to show you that, even at 3/4", you can already see the little characteristic half-seventh bar.
There are some mis-barred fish in the group as is common with Heros but most of them have this diagnostic feature that seems limited to Heros severus and some Heros sp. Inirida.
They are also taking longer to switch to prepared foods. They spit out most of the dried crushed pellets and granules I'm offering, so I am hatching tons of brine to make sure they're getting enough to eat. Usually by 6 weeks I have them weaned to non-live food.
I attached a crappy quality picture of a single fry to show you that, even at 3/4", you can already see the little characteristic half-seventh bar.
There are some mis-barred fish in the group as is common with Heros but most of them have this diagnostic feature that seems limited to Heros severus and some Heros sp. Inirida.
We're at 12 weeks and I think it's safe to say I can flood the US with "Red Tigers" if people want them. 
Great job, Ryan!