Hey everyone, I'm new, I have a couple questions. I have my first cichlid, a severum. We were told at the LFS that it is a rotkeil severum, but there isn't any red on the head, so I'm wondering if that comes with time, or if possibly it is really a green severum? Right now it is housed in a 55 gallon aquarium, we are planning, by the end of the summer, to get a 125. Also in the 55, we have 5 Australian Rainbowfish, and 2 Emerald Rainbowfish. Right now, my severum is approx 2.5-3" and all the rainbowfish range from 1.5-3.5". I have been keeping aquariums as a hobby for about 15 years, but mostly have always done community fish. I absolutely love our new severum, and we are thinking about getting one more rotkeil, and possibly 2 golds. Since they will probably be the same size as the one we have now, and we plan on upgrading to a 125 in a few months, do you think this will be ok? Also, I think mine may be a female, but I've never tried to sex severums before, so if anyone thinks otherwise, will you let me know. I'll probably more or less be a lurker here, just learning what I can, and maybe asking questions here or there, and helping where I'm able to.
Hey all, new, have a couple questions
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Nice fish . You should be ok for a few months with another in there just make sure you get that 125. Welcome to the forum and good luck. See you around :fish:
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Looks like a young rotkeil to me. But I'm going to move this thread to the SA folder. 
Thanks! Yesterday we did buy another one, and added it to the tank. All the fish are doing well, but the severum we've had for about a week now keeps attacking the new one, which I'm sure must be normal. The new one is pretty too, darker than our first one. It is hard to get photos of it quite yet,, but maybe once it's more acclimated to the tank I can get some photos. We are talking about hopefully getting our 125 gallon this summer, if anything, we will have it by Christmas time. I was also going to ask if anyone has any ideas on lowering the pH of the water, in past experiences, I've never really had much luck with chemicals, but now I live in the country and have well water, and my water out of the tap is approx 8.0, in the tank its 7.6, and I know the severums prefer it a little lower, I want to get it to 6.5
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Do not adjust your ph. It is not necessary. I breed severums in a ph of 8 with zero issues. Consistency is key. The more you mess with your water chemistry the more you will stress your fish.
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You can trust me on this one.
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