# Kuhli Loaches?



## LoveMyBettas (Jul 9, 2015)

:-? I Love kuhli loaches. Has anyone kept any bettas in a tank that has kuhli loaches? My male crowntail (the platinum) will be in a 10 gal. His tank mates are a very small pleco, shrimp & a snail (snail I don't have as of yet). But I am curious if a couple kuhli loaches could live with them? I am not adding any other fish. I did read online about the loach & the water conditions are pretty similar to Betta.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Khuli loaches need a* bare minimum 20g tank*. Also you cannot keep a "couple" (couple=2) you *need to keep a shoal-6 or more*, definitely a no go in a 10g. What is your waters pH? Khuli loaches prefer very acidic water to neutral* pH (3.5-7)*. These fish also* need a soft sandy substrate *as the often sift and even bury themselves in the substrate. A large, rough, or gravel substrate will hurt and stress them out. Temperature wise they can live in the same water temp as bettas. You'd have to figure out feeding, these laoches aren't aggressive surface feeders like bettas (khulies eat from the substrate-bottom feeders), the betta may eat their food before they can get to it if you just toss food in (lead to obese betta and starved loaches).


Also you should return your pleco. The smallest tank size a pleco can be kept in is a 20g and thats for the smaller breeds of birstlenose plecos, many gets 12- 24"+ long and need 75g to over 200g tanks! They have a HUGE bioload and need the large tanks to dilute the ammonia (nitrate if cycled to handle them) generated by their poop. 

Edit: if you have a large species snail 9mysteyr, apple, nerite) in the same tank as a pleco they are going to compete with each-other for food, not a good idea. Return the pleco and instead just have the snail.


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## LoveMyBettas (Jul 9, 2015)

Thank you. It's a bristlenose. I looked him up says they usually do not grow over 3". I will save the kuhli loaches for when I set up a larger tank, thank you. I did see they are are shoaling (just found that out though), but have never kept more than 2-3 before. If I ever owned stuff I was selling to people, I would make sure I tell them all the proper stuff. It still bothers me that nearly everywhere you go to purchase anything, they do not care enough to tell you about the specimen you are purchasing. (The pleco for instance. He didn't ask what i was putting him. He also didn't tell me anything about diet - which i know they have some special requirements.)

Thank you for your input I appreciate all info given to me Always learning. It's a good thing!


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