Discus vs Severums: Which is The Better Centerpiece Fish?

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

If you want more information on how to care for these fish check out these species profiles! Discus Care: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYPCYWyIir6kldE Severum Care: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rp-4e36DndeSpLc Our new shirts can be found at: www.primetimeaquatics.com/merch For the latest in the fish room check us out on Instagram primetime_aquatics For more cool behind the scenes stuff consider becoming a member! kzbin.info/door/YVN7EN0ALL6CE4U7NpMUTAjoin If you want to see all the cool stuff Joanna does with other types of scapes check out her channel! kzbin.info/door/PEZk1MpOTGiBVh6BtWjlRg

[@apss5736]

For me its a hard pick but severums Will always be my favourite

[@savannahrae9122]

I've had both. Discus may be bright and stunning BUT severums win hands down for personality and presence in the tank. The maintenance of discus take much of their grandeur away due to the constant upkeep needed to keep them happy. My severum thrives with no special treatment just normal maintenance levels. When people ask about discus I caution them, when people ask about severums I encourage them.

[@majontokmc131]

I’m watching because I recently added Severums in my formerly Discus-only 3-year 600 gallon tank. I got bored with Discus. They are always on the corner of a monster tank. I am loving the personality of Severums right now.

[@ST62382]

Have several discus in my planted community 120 and keep it at 82, love them. They’re not nearly as fragile as people make them out to be

[@nicolaypastore]

Oh really? So how big of a water change weekly? And the water parameters? Can they easily die because of the water being too hard or soft?

[@ST62382]

@@nicolaypastore I do about 50% water change weekly, sometimes go a couple weeks. That 50% is actually probably closer to 33% if you include the sump too

[@nicolaypastore]

@@ST62382 so besides the water changes biweekly and keeping it at •82 what else would I need to keep them healthy?

[@ST62382]

@@nicolaypastore I just treat mine like any other fish, so I may not be the best to ask. There’s even times I don’t feed that aquarium for a few days

[@nicolaypastore]

@@ST62382 do they get along with Angel fish? I was gonna get 5 discus, 2 angel, a Bristlenose Pleco and 22 Cardinal tetra for a 75 gallon

[@billlooker2689]

I live in Florida and have had access to tons of discus over the years. I can even go over the Jack's if I want his discus. I pick the sevrum. Everything you said is right and you can't beat what you get. If you really think it out you will be glad you picked my choice.

[@photojames160]

I have several large severance 8 to 10 inches in a 125 aquarium. I also have Java moss growing in the aquarium and they seem to leave it alone for the most part they do take an occasional snack, but it does seem to stick around. As far as discus if their tank raised, they can tolerate a higher pH. It’s only when they come from the wild that you really need to be aware to have your water more on the acidic side. Thank you for your video. I appreciate the information!

[@mirandaj2317]

I have the Stendker Discus from Discus Hans. They are bred in Germany to be more hardy to harder water conditions and higher ph. My ph runs around 8.2 and they are doing very well I have had them for a year and could not be happier. I have never kept Severums but would love to some day. Love all of your videos and info! Thank you for all you do for us fish junkies 🐟🐠🐡

[@amymandeville8342]

Wow, that 3,000 gallon you showed the clips of is AMAZING!!

[@mrsprimetimeaquatics5497]

It was one of the most magical tanks ever. Worth the trip there just to see it. ✨☺️✨

[@amymandeville8342]

@@mrsprimetimeaquatics5497 do you have footage of the entire tank? That would be interesting to see. I can't even picture how big a 3,000 gallon tank is! There are goals and then this is like Mount Olympus lol.

[@AnoopKumar-iu2tb]

@@amymandeville8342 Video of that particular 3000 gallon discus tank has been already made by prime time aquatics like a year b4 check by typing in discus tank breeding 3000 gallon tank.

[@amymandeville8342]

@@AnoopKumar-iu2tb thanks!

[@roscoeturner4099]

Jason, I need some more advice. I have watched a lot of your videos and made a number of, thanks to you, better informed decisions. I need the final piece of the puzzle: stocking levels. I’m setting up a 125 gallon tank. (I got the equipment used.) Low ph. Kh and gh about 2 Petco black sand substrate No live plants Lots of driftwood-cleaned with h2o2 A few non-porous rocks cleaned with bleach. Starting with two NEW large sponge filters and an fx4- . If the fx4 flow is too high, I have a 407 I can try. I’m cycling it with fritzyme 7 and sponges from other tanks that have been running for over a year. I’m going to stock it with many of your favorites. I need to know how many. I’ll probably be getting babies or juveniles. I don’t want to over stock it and have to re-home fish in a year, or stop fist fights. So, which fish? -Severum-Probably gold and/or red spot -geophagus Tapajo -pearl gourami- I have five that I raised but I don’t need to use them all -green Aeneus Cory- I have a bunch that I bred -britlenose- ditto What else am I considering, you might ask? -silver dollars -Denison barbs - a single angel- black or koi - don’t want no babies - praecox rainbows -zebra loach So what do you think? Which should I include and how many? I’ll be adding them gradually as the tank matures. I can possibly work through this on my own, but I want to get it right and I value Joanna’s opinion. And yours.

[@Constantine_Cvl8]

If you have a big enough tank, you can make a biotope with both! As severums can be found with discus in the wild. I suggest watching Below Water's video on duscus spawning in the wild, where he shows footage of severum shoals intermingling with discus shoals.

[@twunderaquatics1770]

Having kept both severums are definitely my favorite. Even though discus are beautiful personality wins hands down. 😉

[@mrsprimetimeaquatics5497]

🙌😊

[@andrewmiller3767]

You guys make Mondays so much better. Have a great day!

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Thank you :-)

[@mrsprimetimeaquatics5497]

Thank you, Andrew! ☺️

[@chewyfan7745]

Love all the videos so much info. I myself have 2 severums a red spot gold and a green both have amazing personality. Ive thought about discus but just dont have the room for that big of an aquarium. My 2 are in different tanks and are the centerpiece fish in the tank. Thanks for the great videos. Your by far the best. God bless you all.

[@sharronmiller451]

I love Severums!! Especially the gold and red spotted!!

[@rogervignesh]

Ofcourse Discus because they are so calm and full of personality! They r like underwater 🐶🙂atleast mine are! They come up and let you pet em and dont mind other smaller fish with em!! Just a few reasons I love em....i have more reasons!!!

[@Tony21TT]

With Discus the Coloration is amazing but not many things happen in the tank. Not many character I find. Severums I like much more, great fish..

[@drewzero1]

Love the Fish Factory footage! I'll have to check it out some time when I'm in town. A few months ago I walked through Best Fish downtown and it was really neat! Didn't look like much on the outside but they had 3x as much as my LFS.

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Ya, I've been there too :-)

[@invaderjoshua6280]

I like both. I think discus, angels, Severums, and geophagus look great together. Tons of color, and all relatively mild manors as far as cichlids go. I like Uaru, and Festivums too but they arnt as colorful.

[@unusualaquariumecosystems5805]

They look lovely. There's a lot of light in that tank, very sparkly. Good work.

[@NicJua2]

I prefer Severums, because they have more interesting behaviour than discus. I have kept both species and my vote goes to Severums

[@mrsprimetimeaquatics5497]

🙌☺️

[@ThePersia450]

I agree one hundred percent.

[@vinsmokesanji1385]

Also severum is hardy and easy to care

[@matthewzito6130]

I think I'd probably go with Angels for a larger planted tank, and Severums for a large, unplanted tank. The latter might go well with Silver Dollars, a large Common or High-fin Pleco and maybe some Pictus Catfish.

[@mrsprimetimeaquatics5497]

Nice picks. 😊

[@cichlid_kings]

Awesome laid back style of video. Thanks guys.

[@krystalxiong9013]

milwaukee watcher here !! love going to the fish factory too !

[@blacklabel99able]

I honestly love all aquarium fish and used to raise Discus when I was stationed overseas. Discus are hands down my favorite fish and are called the "King of the Aquarium Fish" for a reason.

[@bill9845]

ive had discus since 84, back then i could only really get turquoise and a few others personally i prefer wild strains to the man made ones, rio ica , tefe and royal blues all grace my tanks..

[@markhunter2244]

Happy Monday. I would love to try Discus and Severums at some point, but I think the Severums would be more enjoyable and less stressful.

[@abubbleoff1742]

Have severums in a 125. Watched Joanne in the aquascape contest at aquashella. One of my top three.Great job!

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Thank you!

[@cherylbelott]

Both! For the reasons you listed. I do think discus get a few points extra for looks. I have always been drawn to them for their beautiful bold color spectrum. Happy Monday!!

[@brianp6180]

I always wanted discus but my my water would never work it is almost 8 out of the tap and very hard. I’m not going with RO water. I plan on getting a Severum or 2 to add to a new 125g South American cichlid tank I’m starting to go with my 125g African cichlids tank I have. Should be setting it up in a few weeks. Basically retiring an old 75g community tank and super sizing to the 125g. So far I have 6 red head tapajos and 4 electric blue acara on order. Going in a quarantine tank till the new tank is ready. I Can’t wait I’m like a kid at Christmas 🎅. 😂 This tank is my Christmas present to myself!

[@Hanguanjun68]

I really love the shape of severums..

[@kenjiro2676]

I don’t have an opinion because I don’t have either, I’m a new hobbyist with only a 10 gallon. I do want to set up a South American themed tank, if I had to choose between both it would have to be a severum, only because they have a more agreeable temperature range and are more forgiving. This is what I got from my research at least.

[@mrdemocracy7106]

Severums have my vote. They have personality. Great fish in my opinion

[@kenji.23]

Love my Severums tons of personality. Never kept discus cant bare the thought of losing a $100+ fish.

[@Moocow9991703]

Excellent topic to cover 🎉

[@darrylmoore5847]

Great video. I don’t have the space to properly keep either, but I always to learn.

[@fishandfloral]

I love my severums. I have green, gold and gold red spot. They can get feisty when breeding and definitely have personality. Forget about having a nicely planted tank though. 😆

[@TheStratman007]

I loved my Severum species.

[@Geo-si2bq]

I prefer discus! They're very graceful and the color AMAZING! they're not so aggressive and it's very fulfilling when they mature and breed.

[@yunkemoreno2309]

Nice vid!I like Discus but they're $$.Severum are my favorites 😍and Electric blue 💙 acaras.

[@bensk8363]

Owned Severums in the past and loved them. Never tried discus though

[@joewwilliams]

Your red spotted gold sevrums are some of my favorite looking fish!

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Thank you - they were the two that survived the 125 debacle a couple years ago. :-)

[@katsaquatics8229]

Oooooooo, tough one, but I’m definitely a discus gal! I bred them for a couple of years, they might be super picky, but worth all of the work!

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

So rewarding seeing those little guys picking off the parents. :-)

[@Skysmeller1]

Severums all the way for me. They have great personalities, and can be mixed with a wider variety of fish and are overall easier to keep

[@bill9845]

a lot of the german bred strains of discus ,especially the ones from Stendker are bred in tap water, i think ph of 7.4 to 7.6 from memory, so the ph problem with those guys isnt as demanding unlike f0 and f1 wild strains they can be a nightmare to keep ph from rebounding

[@devanshugaur6490]

Nice video guys, and a very good topic.

[@jordanwilde9226]

I'm just waiting for tank bred Discus to reach the same hardiness that Angelfish have achieved over the decades. Until then, I don't feel like risking $300+ on such fragile fish.

[@leom9048]

I like to think that we are already heading into that with discus I have 8 discus that I’ve had for 3 years in my 120 and I would do water changes every 2 weeks and kept my water at 82 and they have always thrived but where I saw their true hardiness was when me and my ex wife divorced and she kept the tank at our old apartment and she had the tank for like 3 months right up until I found my own place and she never changed the water and fed them a lot shoot she usually let our boys just feed them whenever and if you know how a 5 year old is then you know that’s a lot, but when I went to pick up the tank the water quality wasn’t so good and the level was low too but they were all just swimming around like nothing and at the front of the tank begging for food lol and so I moved my fish to my new apartment and that in itself is also really stressful for a fish and I did not lose not one of them and they are all still thriving a year later.

[@videogazer801]

Well, only some of them are $300 or more per fish, but they aren’t nearly as hard to maintain as many make them out to be. I changed 50% of the water once per month and I had them for almost 10 years without any issues. I think the internet has spooked new owners way too much and therefore, they believe these discus are extra sensitive without knowing the truth is the exact opposite actually

[@bonnieeden228]

Thank you for the video. Very interesting and informative as always.

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Thank you :-)

[@MarvinTheMusicMan]

Thanks guys this was very helpful. Have you done, or could you do a profile on the hybrid parrot fish? Best wishes from Manchester, England.

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

It's been a little while since we kept them :-)

[@c.a.t4607]

Severums because I prefer their shape more than discus.. But I've never kept any so I'm just going off what I've seen in fish stores and videos... The discus colors are definitely more favorable but not the most important thing..

[@sergeiz.5815]

Happy Monday 🎉 no work on Mondays 😌 I'm getting buddies for my Betta today. Some snails :)

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

How fun!

[@readysetawesome]

My gold severum is king of my tank, The most interactive, definitely the healthiest, hardiest, least picky eater. huge fish!

[@readysetawesome]

I have mine in a densely planted tank with big healthy plants, it’s doable. He generally only picks on specific plants. I had to experiment to find which ones are less chomp. Feeding peas daily will reduce his appetite for plants.

[@erikawilson1154]

Severums get my vote. I've kept both. I love the characters of my severums. Plus they're more hardy.

[@AquaponicTim]

Discus are my most social fish hands down. They always come up to the glass and even kind of follow me around the room. They will not do this when the tank conditions are not up to par. No comparison between these two fish imo. Discus win every time

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

They are definitely cool fish!

[@kennethbarrett6469]

On the topic of Cichlid have you guy did an south american cichlid, like the platinum angel fish profile and care/breed guide

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

We've done an angelfish profile, but not specifically on any one type.

[@littlemidwestrebornsdolls]

I think they both beautiful fish.

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

My severums leave crypts alone. I have grown huge crypts in small pond baskets with large severums. My severums are in pH 8.0 water and breed readily but the eggs are sterile and never hatch

[@tristandauphin4763]

Severums just have so much personality I love ours he comes up to the top to be pet

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

They sure do!

[@aquaticconceptsbringingwaterto]

Discuses have no particular environment other than the tank itself. Where they are located is adaptable to your situation. Discus can adapt to almost any environment as long as that environment has consistent elements of traffic, noise and your interaction with your fish. Maintenance, Water changes and feeding are all important activities that build trust. If you are netting your fish and scaring them more than necessary, each time you approach the tank your fish will be suspect about why. If you make the experience a good one you build trust. Plan long term for your fish so that they can continue throughout their life cycle to experience the same environment and not disrupt their life experiences and patterns. This is True with all Tropical fish but some more than others. Discus fish are in that category where great care in planning a safe and stable environment yields the best results. They are not that fragile, they just need your trust. Good Luck!

[@AaronScutt]

Discus are beautiful fish but I hate keeping hot tanks, sevs all day.

[@jacks4733]

Tough call!

[@marlonf.naranjo6102]

Just finished watching you last Christmas live stream about stalking tanks. It was Great! How many serpae tetras do you think I could put in a 20 gallon standard? 18-20??? Thanks

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

I might go with 10-12 given their larger size?

[@marlonf.naranjo6102]

@@PrimeTimeAquatics OK Thanks👍

[@wendihamlett105]

So want to get a bigger tank so I can have this dilemma! Leaning toward Severums because of harder water and not as needy! Sculking FB now for 125 gallons and up!

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

That sounds fun!

[@michaelbrown1015]

I started my first cichlid/community tank about 5 months ago. I have one flag acara, one electric blue, 1 koi angel, one gold angel and a philipino blue. A German ram, 1 ob peacock and red empress in with 4 bosemani rainbowfish, 1 yellow rainbowfish, 3 dot blue gourami, two rsslib sharks, two spotted pictus catfish, a common pleco, clown pleco and albino bristlenose etc etc. But the gold red dot is my absolute favorite. I had to buy another Severum because I love their look and most of all their personality. So I bought a turquoise Severum two weeks later. They are just awesome! So beautiful. The blue acara and the two severums are my fav. They're like Dawgs when I walk into the room and just sit there watching me until I go see them. I want to do an all Severum and acara tank now. Could you put discus in with acaras and severums?

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Usually Discus do best in warmer water that the other fish might not like. You may be able to do a Discus/German Blue Ram Tank?

[@napatsuwattanasilp3202]

Severums ❤❤❤

[@NihilusTheGreat]

Hey there team! About how long can the ich parasite survive in a tank without fish at a temp of 87°F? I know ich dies at 86, but I'm not sure how quickly it will die and if they have a dormant stage.

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Not very long - a couple days. At 87 it might not even survive.

[@modernprimate3279]

I have two young severums and a young oscar in a 72 bow and i wont lie the severums are more interactive than the oscar at somepoints

[@taz3810]

I love aquascape too much to have Severums, to me personally there's no aquarium without plants, it's like my second garden, that's why I choose Discus. Personal choices aside, Severums are indeed beautiful fishes.

[@Constantine_Cvl8]

Unless you're doing a biotope, yeah, plants should be in all aquariums that don't have plant-eating fish.

[@Jerry-lj3cf]

I love my turquoise severam, I would love to find a red spotted one, but that is a problem.

[@amberhart8047]

Discus for the win! #teamdiscus 😎🎉

[@yannickfuster8498]

Hello, Can they live together ? Discus and heros in the same tank ?

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

I've seen it done

[@amazonhippie7826]

I’ve had both. Severums are a million times better. Severums win on cost, personality, maintenance, hardiness, wild types, and in my opinion, looks.

[@johnglenham4099]

Mind you ,you do look great in that t-shirt,l am trying to find out if i have any relatives in the usa.got to give me full marks for trying.

[@davidhess4639]

Get info. Always wanted discus one can't afford them. Love sevrums just love my plants more now

[@sarahcannon1049]

I have 2 young red shouldered severum, they were bought at the same time and one has at least doubled in size while the other seems about the same. I've had them probably 4 months or so and both seem healthy and eat well. Could I just have a slow grower?

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

The slower one might be a female?

[@sarahcannon1049]

@@PrimeTimeAquatics thanks, I kinda wondered that. I read that they cam grow slower than males but wasn't for sure. Thank you for taking the time to respond!

[@Wiater51]

Severus are nice, but discus take the win with my vote.

[@billlooker2689]

Do both

[@want.to.b3.gamer670]

I barely got my severum last week. All my snails I'm assuming got eaten. Well the benefits of snails are in the severum. Depending on the plant. A large Crinum the Severum is eating a decayed layer of the skin. The severum also been eating the fungus that grows on new wood. I wanted to add more plants but I can't add any with this guy maybe big anubias.

[@marlonf.naranjo6102]

Man, I wish I didn't miss the live streams on Wednesday. I know I can watch them later, but it's not the same😂

[@mrsprimetimeaquatics5497]

That’s a bummer. Wish you could make it, but so happy you watch the replay. ☺️

[@johnwood738]

First yes! I have a write in vote long Fin Super Red Bristle Nose.

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Sorry - it came in on the 3am truck so we didn't count it. Haha

[@sergeiz.5815]

Bummer I don't have room for big tanks. Small house I sold my 5 bedroom house in San Francisco 2 years ago. Just down sizing

[@Lion19722]

I had discus for a while, So so boring for so much effort you have to give . Gone with mbuna now, such an exciting tank

[@jasonbalmaceda6579]

Premium Fish = Premium price = Premium care Fish are somewhat like cars. Discus > Severums

[@karenaubrey5737]

Good Morning.

[@michaelwalker4667]

Good video or should I say your videos are always good.

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Thank you!

[@liamloveday3571]

Severums are full of personality.

[@klausoxen6597]

Hi folks, I find Severums much more interesting than Discus. Discus are just cowardly, my red spotted Severums have real character. 🥰Team Heros🥰 Greets from the Middle of Germany

[@mrsprimetimeaquatics5497]

Lol - I agree, Severums have great personality! Guten Tag! 🇩🇪

[@klausoxen6597]

@@mrsprimetimeaquatics5497 🤗

[@edwardsaucedo9223]

Severum can go with more fishes and come in outstanding color.

[@michaelmachos8969]

DISCUS are the Kings of freshwater!! There is NO competition.

[@michealshelton2133]

I have 3 myself and there is no going back!

[@edwardsaucedo9223]

One on one, same tank says no.

[@chillwill7s60]

Like the colors of the disc, but their are to sensitive , it's a circle fish, does not really make them the best.

[@mrdemocracy7106]

Severums have the better personality in my opinion. They definitely know you.

[@pas100657]

1st there's no right or wrong answer here.With that being said I keep Discus and outside of keeping the tank warmer than the rest of my tanks I do nothing different from what I do with the other tanks. They're fed the same foods and the water is changed weekly. The Discus are also in a planted community display tank with 3 species of Corys, Cardinal, Red & Blue, & Rummy Nose Tetras, Pencilfish Angels, & a group of Araguaia Dwarf Acara. did I mention that they're interactive as well. As for price when you compare apples to apples for the most part comparably sized Severums are in the same ball park as Discus. I've been on several sites that sell Severums, where a juvie somewhere in the 2-2.5" area sells in the low to mid $20's. Now if you're going to complain about pricey fish let's talk Pleco's. You can drop a lot of change on some of the less common species and when you put them in a tank you may never see them again for months! So I don't have to do anything extra or different from my other tanks outside of setting the heater higher, & they eat the same foods so all the stories you hear about Discus being difficult from people haven't kept them in a while or they're repeating old wives tales. If I decide to set up another large tank (120+) the center piece fish will be Severums I like them too just not in a tank with live plants.

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

That discus tank sounds so cool!

[@pas100657]

@@PrimeTimeAquatics I can send you a photo of it.

[@cremaboriqua_official]

Has anyone cross breed a sevrum with a discus

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

I haven’t heard of anyone I know doing it?

[@Davidsmithisyourdad]

For some reason neither of these fish excited me. Good looking fish that's for sure.

[@mrsprimetimeaquatics5497]

Hi Richard! Really? I totally understand. Curious though - what are your favorites?

[@hopelfreyamikaelson9348]

Severum are more versatile U cannot keep discus with most of the fishes Severum can be put with most of the non aggressive and aggressive community tanks

[@GenRN]

I’d love discus but my water is too hard.

[@petaaaa5831]

Adult Severums range from 8 inches to a foot, but are slow growers for cichlids. I’ve not heard of discus over 8 inches so I think you got the size wrong.

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

You should see the Discus at the Wonders of Wildlife Museum! Huge!

[@RyanDahn]

You mentioned nothing less than a 90 gallon for a severum here. Don’t you have a severum in a 75 gallon? I am setting up a 75 gallon at home and was really hoping for 5 geophagus tapajos with 1 severum in terms of stocking.

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

We have a breeding pair in a 40 breeder (the only two fish in the tank and they will eventually move. The other two are in a 150 gallon.

[@seansquill8773]

Hey Ryan I’ve had Severums in a 75, along with geos, and Rianbows…and as long as all are Juvies going in you will be fine for quite a while. Mine are now in a 90 2 years later. I have 5 Severums, 1 large geo sveni, 3 smaller, 10 rainbows, and my electric blue acara…and all are doing great. However I’m way over filtered with an FX6 and 407 and I do 1 60-70% water changes weekly. In my opinion a 75-90 gallon is fine, but good maintenance is a must 👌🏼

[@RyanDahn]

@@seansquill8773 that’s great info! Thank you!

[@vinsmokesanji1385]

@@seansquill8773 hello can i keep 4 red severums in 85gallons?

[@jessehunter362]

Ennacanthus sunfish are the cold man’s discus.

[@TheFittedRockStar]

Discus all day feed twice a day do weekly water changes and keep them hot done!!!

[@EddieRuane]

My Severum has never ate any of my plants, guess I’m lucky 😆🤞

[@PrimeTimeAquatics]

Indeed you are!

[@danceaction8548]

Tiger Barbs are poor mans Severum