Kuhli loach does strange things is it normal??

[jbimflyer]

Ok long story short, I had 2 kuhli loaches one died and now there's one left in my 55 Gallon that usually never comes out of hiding. But what I have recently noticed is this fish will wedge itself between the side of the tank and the heater. Now I'm not sure if it's cold or what, but the water temp is generally 77degrees.

Also I have 4 silver dollars(not bigger than an iPhone screen), 5 tiger barbs, 1 pleco, 4 tetras(lemon and redeye). So I was looking to add a couple of Bala sharks and pictus catfish, are they compatible?

And lastly I was given another 55 Gal bow and some plants and drift wood. These things were used before so what would I have to do to add the driftwood b/c I tried driftwood in my other 55 Gal and it brought the Ph down, then I started losing fish.

 

[All_fish]

Balas get way way too big for a 55 gallon.

 

[Gakkan]

I was looking at khuli loaches for myself and read they are best in groups? Maybe it's a confidence in numbers thing, so he's hiding as he's alone. Also they are nocturnal so will hide a lot during the day. As for wedging by the heater maybe he just likes that spot?

Good luck with him =)

 

[Alan79]

Kuhli loaches feel safer near or hiding in structure. If the heater is in an elevated position he's probably just getting a birds eye view of the world from a structure it feels protected in. If you are looking to increase your stocking i would consider getting 4-5 more Kuhli loaches. They are far more active and confident when they have a tangle of buddies. I could only get 1 when i first bought them. It was rarely seen. I then got another 5 later and saw my original Kuhli lose it's shyness.

I highly recommend you get some Kuhli's Gakkan. I'd say these are the most intimate and social fish i know of. I have 13 in a 20g tank and i spend more of my time watching these crazy little guys than i do my other tanks. If you plan to set up a tank specifically for them i'd recommend you give them a lot of hiding spots. They seem to come out more when they have a short distance to move to hide again.

I have a couple of tricks to get mine active. Just a sniff of bloodworm in the water and they're out in a flash. I also turn the filter off if i want them to come out and they seem to enjoy swimming in the reduced flow.

When they come out in numbers they play follow the leader in vertical laps of the tank. They give some awww moments too, often you see one sitting by itself and another one or two will come and drape themselves on top of it. I saw one massaging anothers head with it's mouth yesterday.

 

[mrvincent]

Khulis feel more secure when kept in group >5. Keeping it alone will make him hide for feeling secure.

 

[Autumnsky]

They do love going into the smallest of places. One time I found one living in a resin rock for a very long time, because it had been missing for a couple months. It wiggled into the hole in the bottom and after removing the rock, and putting it into a bucket to do a scape change, there it was swimming in the bucket.

So unless you saw the dead body and you have any ornaments with little cracks or holes in them be careful to check inside for the other one.

Bala too large for your tank (liveaquaria says 16" long). Pictus should have a tank larger than 55G also, and they like to have companions.

Your stocking of fish are on the bold to semi aggressive side and it is very likely feeling the loss of it buddy, in regards to the lack of security. I would say 5 would be best but 3 would help a lot. Just watch for any aggressive actions towards the Kuhlis by their tank mates.

Good luck on deciding on your stocking. By selecting the appropriate tank size and tank mates, you help make sure your tank of fish will be the happiest possible.

Good luck with your stocking choices.

 

[Gakkan]

I highly recommend you get some Kuhli's Gakkan. I'd say these are the most intimate and social fish i know of. I have 13 in a 20g tank and i spend more of my time watching these crazy little guys than i do my other tanks. If you plan to set up a tank specifically for them i'd recommend you give them a lot of hiding spots. They seem to come out more when they have a short distance to move to hide again.

I have a couple of tricks to get mine active. Just a sniff of bloodworm in the water and they're out in a flash. I also turn the filter off if i want them to come out and they seem to enjoy swimming in the reduced flow.

When they come out in numbers they play follow the leader in vertical laps of the tank. They give some awww moments too, often you see one sitting by itself and another one or two will come and drape themselves on top of it. I saw one massaging anothers head with it's mouth yesterday.

Excellent stuff, they do sound quite cool, I've currently got a rehomed Pleco that's quickly out growing my tank and I'll probably have to send him out for adoption, I'll deffo be looking into a few kuhlis to replace him now.

 

[jbimflyer]

Thanx, but does anyone know about the driftwood, should I not use it and go artificial?

 

[jbimflyer]

Yes the local 'fish only' store is getting some more in, so I will get maybe 3 more to add to the 1 that hides all the time.

 

[Alan79]

You could just pop the driftwood in when ready and test the water every couple of days until the PH settles. If the PH begins to get worryingly low at any stage then remove it and maybe replace it with some stone or something. You may also be able to balance the PH reduction due to the driftwood by adding some crushed coral in small amounts to the filter until you achieve a PH you like. I've never added anything to raise my PH so i can't advise you on any other methods or specifics of this one. If your PH was high i would suggest peat moss in a small bag inside the filter. Maybe google adjusting ph in aquarium and see if it provides some useful information.

Your Kuhli will really appreciate the company. Hopefully he thanks you with more time out in open spaces. They are great fun to watch when they're active.

 

[jbimflyer]

You could just pop the driftwood in when ready and test the water every couple of days until the PH settles. If the PH begins to get worryingly low at any stage then remove it and maybe replace it with some stone or something. You may also be able to balance the PH reduction due to the driftwood by adding some crushed coral in small amounts to the filter until you achieve a PH you like. I've never added anything to raise my PH so i can't advise you on any other methods or specifics of this one. If your PH was high i would suggest peat moss in a small bag inside the filter. Maybe google adjusting ph in aquarium and see if it provides some useful information.

Your Kuhli will really appreciate the company. Hopefully he thanks you with more time out in open spaces. They are great fun to watch when they're active.

Yeah I had to remove driftwood in another aquarium before b/c the Ph went too far below 7.0 They say a Goldfish balances PH I guess with the ammonia and I do have one already in my 20 Gal. He gets along with the Dwarf loaches, cories, catfish, bristlenose pleco, and hill stream loaches, but is way too greedy and eats his food and theirs. They are all going to be moving to my new 55 Gal.

I have used the 'PH 7.0' powder before and that worked very well. I'll try the driftwood with the Goldie tho and see how that works. The kuhlis will go in my other 55 with the other one and the silver dollars, tiger barbs, etc.