Kuhli Loach Care Guide

Basic care guide to keep these fish healthy in your aquarium. Rough notes below, but much more in the video!!!

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Kuhli Loach - Pangio kuhlii (AKA coolie loach, leopard loach, cinnamon loach)

Native
*freshwater streams in Southeast Asia, in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Borneo

Characteristics
*hardy
*bottom dwellers
*first classified in 1846
*recommended for an intermediate level fish keeper
*eel-like, long, slender bodies
*relatively small fins that are hard to see, dorsal fin is closer to the tail
*beady black eyes, bristly barbels (whiskers) 4 pairs around the mouth
*The base can be colored anything between light pink to brassy yellow
*The underside of the fish is slightly lighter
*On top of that base color, the fish have between 10 and 15 dark stripes
*Depending on the particular fish, the dark brown lines may go around their entire body or stop at the belly
*Those aren’t the only prickly things the fish is hiding. Just below each eye is a pair of sharp spines
*When the fish is relaxed, they’re barely visible. However, those spines will pop up the moment the Kuhli Loach is threatened
*It’s a defense mechanism that helps to ward off predators. In the event that they do get eaten, those spines are the fish’s last line of defense to harm attackers
*max out at 4 inches long, sometimes 5 in the wild
*live an average of 10 years
*don't produce much waste
*peaceful
*love burrowing in substrate
*When they’re alone, they can be a bit shy and reclusive.
*If Kuhli Loach are left alone, they will be even shyer, hide a lot, and stay reclusive
*nocturnal
*susceptible to disease and parasitic infection, ich
*They do have some scales. However, they’re soft and faint. On their heads, they lack scales completely. This makes it easier for diseases to get into their bodies
sensitive to medications
*They can get into some trouble if given the chance. One common problem is the inlet tube/outlet on aquarium filters. They can sneak their way in and it will be fatal
*make sure that you have a secure lid. These fish have been known to jump right out of the tanks when you are least expecting it.
*Couple subtypes: black kuhli, and silver kuhli

Tank Mates
*tetras, rasboras, gourami, danios, fish that stay mid to top of the tank, corydoras
*the best tank mates are more kuhli loaches, it can make them more active and happy
*obviously avoid large and aggressive fish, cichlids, tiger barbs

Aquarium
*temperature 73F-86F
*pH 5.5 – 6.5
*less than 5 dGH
*plants
*well oxygenated
*20 gallon long for a group of 5
*dim lit
*smooth substrate
*tropical, slow moving rivers
*For the bottom of your tank, go with a smooth substrate. Kuhli Loaches love to burrow down. Large and jagged pebbles can cut through their delicate scales. The best option is fine sand
*give your fish plenty of places to hide. Rocks, driftwood, manufactured caves, and a collection of live plants

Diet
*sinking foods, pellets, frozen bloodworms, blackworms, water fleas, brine shrimp, and tubifex
*omnivore
*love protein-based fish foods
*make sure they are not out competed for food, might be easier to feed them with the lights off
*they scour river beds and will consume everything from tiny shrimp to plant material
these are bottom-dwelling scavengers.
*They’re not going to swim up to the surface of the water to take the food
*recommend that you feed your Kuhli Loaches several times throughout the day (consumed within a few minutes), dont overfeed
*balance the diet with live foods
*Vegetables such as zucchini, cucumber, blanched spinach or lettuce
*The only thing that you need to really watch out for when you give your Kuhli Loach fish food is that you need to make sure that their food sinks all the way to the bottom

Gender
*Can't tell the differences, they look identical
*some say males have larger pectoral fins, but the difference is minor
*It’s only when they are ready to breed that females start to stand out, they can balloon in size

Breeding
*check video

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