# Kuhli Loaches



## Crowntails (Feb 12, 2013)

It seems that a fair amount of people on here have these guys. I was doing some research on them and find them very cute! 

Can any owners here tell me what they are like and if you enjoy them? I am trying to save up for a 20 gallon long tank and I may get some if I get the tank. Thanks :-D


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## Chevko (Nov 15, 2012)

What kind are you going to get? The banded loach or the black? Bandeds are a right pain to find, and only best it seems if you can find a nearby breeder =\ I got lucky with finding a breeder in my area since apparently they don't travel well and Express shipping is expensive as all get-out, and only two places I found online have them


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## Fishybitty (Dec 29, 2012)

I use to have brown kuhli loaches and honestly they kind of creeped me out. If I would move plants around they would be under the gravel lol. The brown ones remind me of worms.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

I've had brown kuhlies for years now and love the guys. They're pretty hardy if their needs are met. My oldest are something like 5 and still going strong. They do best on a sand substrate as they like to dig in it for food particles. They can injure themselves on gravel. I've noticed that mine that lived on gravel for a while have shorter barbels than the ones that have only lived on sand. 

They do need a lot of structure on the bottom such as rocks, driftwood, and plants. Mine haven't been burrowers but they do like to get under things that are close to the ground like low-hanging leaves and rocks with little outcroppings. They will be much more visible if they know they have a lot of hiding spaces. 

They are highly social like all loaches and do best in groups of 6 or more. Really as many as you can fit in the tank as possible is best. In a 20 long you'd want about 8 of the brown kuhlies or 7 of the striped kuhlies as the striped ones get about an inch longer. 

Very few are captive-bred. Most of them are wild-caught, so they will be more sensitive to water parameters than fish like mollies and bettas. As far as some species being harder to find than others; it all depends on your local suppliers. None of mine got in any Pangio species, so I ordered online. All the fish were safe and healthy.


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## osromatra (Jan 9, 2013)

Sorry if I'm hijacking- I'm looking for a good dark sand to convert to. Is the Caribsea Tahitian Moon gravel too big? It's supposedly very fine grain gravel, but not quite sand.


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## Chevko (Nov 15, 2012)

*@osromatra*
If you can find it in a store, check it out, see how big or fine the grains are.


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