texastkc - 2018-11-01 I accidentally became a breeder of black kuhli loaches... I started with 3 of them (all that was available). I have a 55g tank that has been running fish since August. I have river rock substrate. In addition to the kuhlis, I have platys, guppies, pristella tetras, a gourami and a young angel, a bn pleco, some snails...yeah that's about it. I have some live plants and some moss balls. My ph is usually around 7 and I don't even know my hardness levels. Basic tank, right? A few weeks ago, my oldest son thought he saw something wiggling around in the rocks along the glass wall. By the time I got over to look, it was gone. A few days later, I saw something too and the face made me think kuhli, but reading online says that is rare and I don't have prime conditions (the rock instead of sand, etc.). This week, I have kuhlis out and about that are about half the size of my original 3. I have some much smaller ones that still go down into the rocks. And I still see faces among the rocks that are very tiny. I have accidentally been breeding kuhli loaches. Reading about others who have had the same experience, it seems the river rock is great for breeding as the eggs fall down and provides protection until they get to size. I also tend to overfeed which means feeding debris for adults and babies. I also tend to move my rocks so I create moving holes for movement. There is also a theory that the livebearers in the tank may be producing pheromones that stimulate breeding. Funny thing is that none of my platy or guppy fry make it more than a day or two because of the tetras and the angel who are always hunting. They have shown zero interest in the young kuhlis. Right now I have at least 5 baby khulis, but each day I'm seeing possibly more. Hard to be sure since they keep disappearing into the rocks!
Latisha - 2017-07-28 I have 3 Loaches and when I woke up to feed the rest of the fish I saw 3 or 4 babys swimming around!!! Im so excited I wonder if there are more!! I dont want to move anything to look! I have a 55 gallon with no aggessive fish and the babys are big enough to survive!
daphne - 2010-02-22 Two of my seven loaches are getting busy as I type! I have a few aquariums, but the one in question is a simply, a fully live planted tank with only a few snails, some harlequin rasboras, and the loaches. One of the largest loaches is swimming in a circular pattern, up and down, along the left vertical wall of the tank. These two have been doing this for days. From what I've read, this is the beginning of the mating cycle.
It is set to rain in a few days, and an expert told me to do small water changes until then. When the weather is supposed to change, I am to do a thirty to forty percent water change, and then over the next couple of days I am to watch for floating eggs at the water's surface. I use elodea and other floating plants, so I hope the eggs will last until I find them.
If these two get it on, I'll get back to you!
In the meantime, here's my advice:
Buy the loaches in large, uneven amounts, of over nine. Keep the water warm, flowing, and full of live plants. If you must have other fish in the tank, make sure they are small. Buy a few caves, or bury plastic cups or terra cotta planters halfway in sand.
I wish you the best of luck with your loaches!
P.S. Buy frozen bloodworms once a month, at least. They LOVE them.
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Shareallicu - 2010-10-09 Hi, I am new to keeping Kulhi loaches. I saw them at the pet store and thought they looked interesting and fun: I was looking for something a little different from the "regular" type fish, of which I've kept most of my life.
I asked the salesman if they liked companionship or if they were social amongst themselves (so I would buy more than one) he said no. I had a feeling he was wrong, but didn't want to buy too many if they were aggressive to each other. So I bought two.
They burrowed together and laid next to each other ALL The TIME! I found that my instincts were right in the first place! They were social. So i went back about 2 weeks later and just bought 2 more. I will be watching them to see how the 4 get along.
I wish I read your comment about keeping a lot of them together beforehand, but live and learn i guess hehe.
I will give them bloodworms tonight, thanks for the info! :)
vic - 2013-06-07 I have had two lots of baby java loaches and all doing great. They live under the under gravel filter and they enter and leave via the up tubes of the filter. I notice that they will gather in one place on top of the gravel with their heads in the gravel all within a two inch area. They will do this once or twice a month.
vic - 2013-11-11 Since last I wrote I find now that I now have yet another batch of babies. At this rate I will have more than I can handle. Bye for now.
Trey - 2011-08-20 Is it strange that my loach likes to sit directly under my black skirt tetras as if its schooling with them?
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Kellie Gates Dewey - 2012-05-06 Loaches are communal fish. Meaning that they do well with all fish (for the most part) but also can be schooling fish. Since my loach is completely nocturnal, and I NEVER see it in the daytime, I bought another loach so that it does better. If your loach is more of a daytime fish, I would say that it would be fine and normal for your loach to 'school' with your tetras.
Sean - 2012-04-02 I have a black khuli loach in my tank and have just discovered a baby loach hiding under my gravel. How is this possible as I only have the one adult and have had her for about 3 months now, could she of been pregnant when I bought her?
dain - 2009-08-12 I have 3 java loaches and I love them. I hope that I can get some more varieties of loaches and get a bigger tank. I am only 11 and got my fish only a couple of months ago. I think they have eaten my baby snails and are very active.
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Charlie Roche - 2011-08-19 They will eat baby snails - but glad you are enjoying
markii - 2011-03-01 Hey I'm just wondering where can I buy one I live in ireland and I'm looking for one any suggestions?
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Jason Lucas - 2011-03-20 Go to one of the many websites that ship tropical fish internationally I just bought a black kulhi loach today and they are interesting little critters and very easy to take care of, supplement their diet with algae wafers they love them.
j pardew - 2011-04-13 Is it safe to keep 2 loaches in a 10 gallon tank with like 4 molly fish and 1 glass catfish?
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Charlie Roche - 2011-04-14 It would be preferable to have a larger tank. I was told just a basic rule of thumb to limit 1 inch of fish to one gallon of water. A ten gallon tank minus gravel, plants etc is about 8 - 9 gallons. Molly is 2 inches and Loach is 3 so 4 mollies is 8 inches and Loach is another 3. Then you want to add another Loach so 14 so should have at least a 15 gallon tank. There isn't science in this just from my son-in-law who has had fish for 20 years.
Clarice Brough - 2011-04-14 You should be okay, but there are a number of factors that could come into play like tank size and decor. 10 gallons may be too small and loaches do need hiding places to be happy. Some loaches can get somewhat aggressive, especially as they get older... again tank size becomes important.
Heidi - 2011-07-17 I kept 2 Kuhlli loaches in a ten gallon with some mollies and platies until I decided I wanted something bigger. Now they're in a 35 gallon with Pictus catfish, other loaches, a swordtail, 2 danios, a betta and even an Australian lobster and they all do fine. The Kuhlis just hang out at the bottom with the catfish and the African dwarf frogs. They don't even go hide in a cave. They just sit there for all to see.
conor - 2010-06-24 HELP! I bought 2 kuhli loaches 2 wks ago! They were doing great for the first wk BUT now BOTH are erratically swimming on their backs and are just sitting on the bottom or in plants. They have everything they need (plants, rocks, hiding spots, etc) HELP! I don't know what to do!
Jerry - 2010-01-26 Our Black Kuhli Loach are some of the most coolest fish. They tell us when it is cold outside because they are all out at the same time, and that doesnt usually happen a lot. Plus we go outside to see if they're right and they usually are. Setsuka and Sakura love to play in the current with our catfish Momo and they like to mess with the goldfish as well. We are thinking about getting more once we get a bigger tank to support them. ^_^
Java Loach is perfect if you like the wiggly action of the kuhli, but with a more streamlined look!
I accidentally became a breeder of black kuhli loaches... I started with 3 of them (all that was available). I have a 55g tank that has been running fish since August. I have river rock substrate. In addition to the kuhlis, I have platys, guppies, pristella tetras, a gourami and a young angel, a bn pleco, some snails...yeah that's about it. I have some live plants and some moss balls. My ph is usually around 7 and I don't even know my hardness levels. Basic tank, right? A few weeks ago, my oldest son thought he saw something wiggling around in the rocks along the glass wall. By the time I got over to look, it was gone. A few days later, I saw something too and the face made me think kuhli, but reading online says that is rare and I don't have prime conditions (the rock instead of sand, etc.). This week, I have kuhlis out and about that are about half the size of my original 3. I have some much smaller ones that still go down into the rocks. And I still see faces among the rocks that are very tiny. I have accidentally been breeding kuhli loaches. Reading about others who have had the same experience, it seems the river rock is great for breeding as the eggs fall down and provides protection until they get to size. I also tend to overfeed which means feeding debris for adults and babies. I also tend to move my rocks so I create moving holes for movement. There is also a theory that the livebearers in the tank may be producing pheromones that stimulate breeding. Funny thing is that none of my platy or guppy fry make it more than a day or two because of the tetras and the angel who are always hunting. They have shown zero interest in the young kuhlis. Right now I have at least 5 baby khulis, but each day I'm seeing possibly more. Hard to be sure since they keep disappearing into the rocks!
I have 3 Loaches and when I woke up to feed the rest of the fish I saw 3 or 4 babys swimming around!!! Im so excited I wonder if there are more!! I dont want to move anything to look! I have a 55 gallon with no aggessive fish and the babys are big enough to survive!
Two of my seven loaches are getting busy as I type! I have a few aquariums, but the one in question is a simply, a fully live planted tank with only a few snails, some harlequin rasboras, and the loaches. One of the largest loaches is swimming in a circular pattern, up and down, along the left vertical wall of the tank. These two have been doing this for days. From what I've read, this is the beginning of the mating cycle.
It is set to rain in a few days, and an expert told me to do small water changes until then. When the weather is supposed to change, I am to do a thirty to forty percent water change, and then over the next couple of days I am to watch for floating eggs at the water's surface. I use elodea and other floating plants, so I hope the eggs will last until I find them.
If these two get it on, I'll get back to you!
In the meantime, here's my advice:
Buy the loaches in large, uneven amounts, of over nine. Keep the water warm, flowing, and full of live plants. If you must have other fish in the tank, make sure they are small. Buy a few caves, or bury plastic cups or terra cotta planters halfway in sand.
I wish you the best of luck with your loaches!
P.S. Buy frozen bloodworms once a month, at least. They LOVE them.
Hi, I am new to keeping Kulhi loaches. I saw them at the pet store and thought they looked interesting and fun: I was looking for something a little different from the "regular" type fish, of which I've kept most of my life.
I asked the salesman if they liked companionship or if they were social amongst themselves (so I would buy more than one) he said no. I had a feeling he was wrong, but didn't want to buy too many if they were aggressive to each other. So I bought two.
They burrowed together and laid next to each other ALL The TIME! I found that my instincts were right in the first place! They were social. So i went back about 2 weeks later and just bought 2 more. I will be watching them to see how the 4 get along.
I wish I read your comment about keeping a lot of them together beforehand, but live and learn i guess hehe.
I will give them bloodworms tonight, thanks for the info! :)
I have had two lots of baby java loaches and all doing great. They live under the under gravel filter and they enter and leave via the up tubes of the filter. I notice that they will gather in one place on top of the gravel with their heads in the gravel all within a two inch area. They will do this once or twice a month.
Since last I wrote I find now that I now have yet another batch of babies. At this rate I will have more than I can handle. Bye for now.
Is it strange that my loach likes to sit directly under my black skirt tetras as if its schooling with them?
Loaches are communal fish. Meaning that they do well with all fish (for the most part) but also can be schooling fish. Since my loach is completely nocturnal, and I NEVER see it in the daytime, I bought another loach so that it does better. If your loach is more of a daytime fish, I would say that it would be fine and normal for your loach to 'school' with your tetras.
I have a black khuli loach in my tank and have just discovered a baby loach hiding under my gravel. How is this possible as I only have the one adult and have had her for about 3 months now, could she of been pregnant when I bought her?
I have 3 java loaches and I love them. I hope that I can get some more varieties of loaches and get a bigger tank. I am only 11 and got my fish only a couple of months ago. I think they have eaten my baby snails and are very active.
They will eat baby snails - but glad you are enjoying
Hey I'm just wondering where can I buy one I live in ireland and I'm looking for one any suggestions?
Go to one of the many websites that ship tropical fish internationally I just bought a black kulhi loach today and they are interesting little critters and very easy to take care of, supplement their diet with algae wafers they love them.
Is it safe to keep 2 loaches in a 10 gallon tank with like 4 molly fish and 1 glass catfish?
It would be preferable to have a larger tank. I was told just a basic rule of thumb to limit 1 inch of fish to one gallon of water. A ten gallon tank minus gravel, plants etc is about 8 - 9 gallons. Molly is 2 inches and Loach is 3 so 4 mollies is 8 inches and Loach is another 3. Then you want to add another Loach so 14 so should have at least a 15 gallon tank. There isn't science in this just from my son-in-law who has had fish for 20 years.
You should be okay, but there are a number of factors that could come into play like tank size and decor. 10 gallons may be too small and loaches do need hiding places to be happy. Some loaches can get somewhat aggressive, especially as they get older... again tank size becomes important.
I kept 2 Kuhlli loaches in a ten gallon with some mollies and platies until I decided I wanted something bigger. Now they're in a 35 gallon with Pictus catfish, other loaches, a swordtail, 2 danios, a betta and even an Australian lobster and they all do fine. The Kuhlis just hang out at the bottom with the catfish and the African dwarf frogs. They don't even go hide in a cave. They just sit there for all to see.
HELP! I bought 2 kuhli loaches 2 wks ago! They were doing great for the first wk BUT now BOTH are erratically swimming on their backs and are just sitting on the bottom or in plants. They have everything they need (plants, rocks, hiding spots, etc) HELP! I don't know what to do!
Our Black Kuhli Loach are some of the most coolest fish. They tell us when it is cold outside because they are all out at the same time, and that doesnt usually happen a lot. Plus we go outside to see if they're right and they usually are. Setsuka and Sakura love to play in the current with our catfish Momo and they like to mess with the goldfish as well. We are thinking about getting more once we get a bigger tank to support them. ^_^