From Aqua Guide, the free encyclopedia
Kuhli Loach
Pangio kuhlii
- Temperature
- 21–26 °C
- pH
- 5.5 – 7
- Min. tank size
- 75 L
- Lifespan
- 9 years
- Diet
- omnivore
- Care level
- moderate
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name: | Pangio kuhlii |
| Family: | Cobitidae |
| Origin: | Southeast Asia (Malay Peninsula, Indonesia) |
| Care Characteristics | |
| Care Level: | moderate |
| Diet: | omnivore |
| Max Size: | 10.00 cm |
| Water Type: | freshwater |
| Temp Group: | tropical |
| Temperament: | peaceful |
| Min Group: | 6+ together |
| Varieties: | There are no cultivated strains, but there is a great deal of species confusion, which amounts to the same practical problem. Several Pangio species are traded interchangeably as kuhli or coolie loaches. Pangio semicincta is the usual fish sold as P. kuhlii. Pangio malayana lives alongside it across much of its range and is exported with it. Pangio oblonga is the plain dark species sold as the black kuhli, java loach, cinnamon loach or chocolate kuhli. Pangio myersi is the giant kuhli, larger and more heavily built. A mixed shop tank of banded kuhlis frequently contains more than one species, and the banding pattern varies enough between individuals that this is easy to miss. For a keeper it rarely matters — their requirements are broadly the same, they coexist peacefully, and a mixed group behaves as one. For anyone attempting to breed them it matters a great deal, and it is one more reason the captive breeding record for this fish is so thin. Ichthyologists call the genus eel loaches; the hobby has called them kuhli loaches for a century and is unlikely to stop. |
| Lifespan: | 9 years |
Quick Tips
- Bioload:Low
- Min Tank:75 L
- Substrate:Soft sand (they burrow); hiding places essential
- Plant Safe:Plant-safe
- Filtration:Low to moderate
Kuhli Loach (Pangio kuhlii) is a species of fish in the family Cobitidae. It is native to Southeast Asia (Malay Peninsula, Indonesia). The kuhli loach is an eel-shaped, banded, burrowing loach from Southeast Asia that spends much of its life buried in sand and comes out at dusk in a tangle of others. Start with its name, because almost everything written about it is filed under the wrong one. The fish sold as the kuhli loach is among the most frequently misidentified species in the hobby. Pangio kuhlii is endemic to Java and has most likely never appeared in aquaria at all; the fish in the shops is nearly always Pangio semicincta. They are told apart by the caudal-fin pattern. It reaches about 10 cm and can live around a decade. It is a micropredator, sifting mouthfuls of substrate through its mouth and gills to extract insect larvae and small crustaceans — which tells you both what to feed it and what to put on the bottom of the tank.
Compatibility
- Temperament
- peaceful
- Keep in
- Groups of 6+
- Swims
- bottom
- Fin nipper
- No
- Delicate fins
- No
Species similar to Kuhli Loach
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