Kuhli questions and concerns

[Lady Cougrrr]

I bought 4 kuhli loaches yesterday and added them to my tank with my betta. My betta is fine with them (phew), but I did have one pass away last night. The other 3 were swimming and exploring, but he just hid. He also had a paler color compared to the other 3, so I chalked it up to "maybe he was sick". My ammonia, nitrite & nitrate should be good (0, 0, & 10ppm)

What temperature do these guys like? My fish books and some websites say 75-86, while others say that they don't like temps in the 80's. I've got the temp at 80-82, and while my betta is happy, I'm not sure if these guys are. They are extremely active, swimming all over the tank, up and down the sides, and spend a lot of time at the surface. I thought they were nocturnal and rested during the day?

I have artificial plants and a driftwood decoration that has lots of dark areas under the roots, like deep tunnels rather than closed in caves, and I thought they would spend a lot of time there. But instead of hiding, they are all over the place and have been swimming all day with only a few rests! Are they normally this active, or is there something else going on?
They also take a lot of air from the surface. I have my Aquaclear HOB filter on its lowest setting with a pop bottle-half under the outflow to break up the current so my betta is happy. Is there maybe not enough oxygen for my fish being that I have don't have much surface agitation anymore? (I still have ripples from the waterfall, but no bubbles)

I appreciate your help so much!

 

[flip0204]

what size is your tank? many problem arise to not having enough room. However if that is not the case you might have just had a sick fish that die from the stress from the move. Most stores will replace it withing 14 days. Also when I bought my Yo Yo Loaches they were all over the tank and also started out pale. I think this was just do to stress and being curious of their new envioronment. Things should settle down. I actually though about getting Kuhli loaches however i have live plants and enjoy seeing my fish and from what i read the dig up everything and hide in sand and rocks and you can never see them. but for what it's worth I think they are a fasinating fish.

 

[krap101]

Khuli's are catfish-like in that they like to skim the surface. (cories and plecos do it) I did research on them awhile ago, and I think they like a little cooler water, and get more active before it rains (something with barometric pressure)

Watch for symptoms in the other 3, otherwise you can just enjoy them

 

[Lady Cougrrr]

It looks like it was the temperature causing the manic activity. I turned down the heater from 82 to 78 and now they are calm. They were swimming all over this morning before I turned on the light but not frantically like they were yesterday, and they ate when I fed my betta. Now they are all hiding and sleeping, occasionally wandering to a new spot before settling down again.

Phew! Thanks, guys!

 

[WhiteDevil]

you are going to add some more fish right?
bettas are compatible with tons of fish.

I have 3 kuhlis in my tank and I keep it at 78, turned it up to 79 because its in a basement and its always cooler air temp down here with AC and such during the summer.

I have one kuhli, my original kuhli who still hides but I do have pics of all three of them out and about well after lights off entirely, I chalk it up to light sensitivity, he might be special like that.


they love smaller river rock piled up with design from you to give them tunnels just big enough for them. I didnt even have to kill the lights for all 3 of them to swarm into it and hide, now I have kuhli faces well two and one tail( the original again)staring back at me whenever I view the tank.

Just a thought
they love the bowfronts, dont scrape or clean the inside glass for a while, let some algae get on it, the trails the leave and how much they follow the same exact course is amazing.

 

[Lady Cougrrr]

WhiteDevil, one of my kuhli's might be more light sensitive than the others, or he's just more shy because he tends to hide the most when the others are out foraging. He comes out more when the lights are off. He's also the smallest...

They love hiding in the tunnel-like roots of the driftwood now. I can usually see heads and tails in there during the day if I look hard enough.

 

[flip0204]

they say loaches are usually shy however my yo yo loaches are always around the tank swimming with even the other fish like my barbs they arent shy at all IMO

 

[WhiteDevil]

I think its all in the particular individual entity be it human down to itsy bitsy lil buggers. Most people call me a ***** for having a betta in with angels and tetras and kuhlis, i saw, yeah and? they get along perfectly fine. Territory is established and will be de-established today for the sake of sanity in there.

My smallest one is my oldest one as well, My two newer ones are out as we speak right now, the kids are watching the tank and they seem to come to the kids like the betta does to my daughter as well. I dont know like I said I think its personality not species. I might have upset some hardcore hobbyists but its what I have observed in both my tanks as well as nature( aquaviews are good for alot of things) and wild caught now in captivity.

 

[meegosh]

I just got three kuhlis a week or so ago. They do not burrow like I remember from years ago when my brother kept two of them. They burrow to a certain extent, to get under decor or roots of plants to hide. They do not go completely under the sand and burrow like an ant farm. Mainly they twist and turn themselves to hide in the stems of my swords or burrow on the side of my barrel decor.

I have my temp at 77-78 and they will come out every day around 5:00pm and start looking for food. I usually drop a few shrimp pellets in, and if the ghost shrimp don't pick them up and scurry away with them, they find them in no time. I've also seen them eating some flake food that made it to the bottom. They had no interest in algae wafers, one was actually resting his body on it, never even picked at it.

 

[WhiteDevil]

they love blood worms.

 

[timwag2001]

i think that i read somewhere that khuli's aren't always that healthy and that there is usually a lot of die off and that stores dont like to carry them too often because of that. i bought 7 kuhlis at one point and 4 of them survived.

 

[Lady Cougrrr]

My little guys went nuts over the freeze-dried bloodworms today, but a lot of them are still floating and haven't sunk to the bottom. My biggest kuhli was up at the top of the tank feeding from the surface just a few minutes ago!

They come out of hiding every morning when I feed my betta and they hunt around for leftovers for about an hour before settling in for their naps. They hunt periodically throughout the day, but I see the most activity from them in the morning. Interesting little fish!

 

[WhiteDevil]

Mine are active starting around 7pm cdt. and go till I turn the overhead lights on in the morning before work( like 4am cdt) I dont turn their light on till atleast 9am on the timer, some days usually wed/thurs it goes on at 11.

Try frozen bloodworms, you think he likes those freeze-dried now, wait till get gets ahold of a juicy one, youd think he has the mind of a great white.

Have you thought of any tankmates yet?

 

[timwag2001]

everyone says that kuhlis like to come out pretty much only at night. but mine are out almost 24/7 but are much more active at night

 

[WhiteDevil]

I just removed alot of the plastic plants to design the aquascape im planning on doing shortly. I layed out a deep rock bed and all 3 kuhlis went right for it from their top opening cave , not sure how they knew but one popped its head out and soon after the 3 of em were on their way to the rocks and havnt come out except their heads, and again one tail.

Im not home in the day but when the lights are on they usually dont come out except the larger one, he comes out slaps my betta around and goes back from time to time.

 

[Lady Cougrrr]

Try frozen bloodworms, you think he likes those freeze-dried now, wait till get gets ahold of a juicy one, youd think he has the mind of a great white.

Have you thought of any tankmates yet?

I definately have frozen bloodworms on my shopping list; I imagine they'll go nuts over it, and so will my betta!

I'm still pondering the tankmates dilemma. I'm definately going to get some cory cats (first I'll want to switch over to sand for the kuhli's and cories) and I know they'll get along with the betta just fine. I'm looking into black mollies (not the sailfin variety) and platies.

 

[WhiteDevil]

I suggest HIKARI brand, from what ive noticed( I have SFBB in my freezer hikari has replaced it) HIKARI has alot less "crap" in it, just in the bloodworms alone, the SF brand had a bunch of crap floating in it, the hikari had NONE, jsut pure bloodworms and its not bad priced, 4oz is atleast a 2 month supply for me.

OH do yourself a favor, before you get the worms, get a worm feeder floating cup for it, I cant find them in any store near me at all only online but its not the one with a feeder ring, its a individual piece usually 2 bucks tops and it floats

http://www.fish.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=710125

Im not sure why stores dont really carry these anymore, I mean even if they kept a dozen on hand thats only MAYBE 3 bucks in inventory cost and 12 bucks in retail.( The mark ups are obsurd especially on fish tanks)

 

[Lady Cougrrr]

HIKARI it is then! And I've never seen a worm feeder like that before. What exactly is it for? To keep the food in one spot and make feeding easier?

I had a kuhli disaster! My betta, Patches, sleeps on the bottom of the tank rather than at the surface for some reason. Yesterday, I noticed he was missing chunks of his long fins. Today, it was even worse. I kept a close eye on him and caught the culprits in the act. While he was resting, my biggest kuhli wandered over and sucked a length of his tail into his mouth and worked at it! When Patches pulled away, he was missing an even bigger piece of his tail.

I coudn't believe it! He looks raggedy and bedraggled. I panicked and called the petstore and they were happy to take my kuhli's. Now Patches is swimming all by his lonesome. I hope his fins heal okay.

Now I'm worried about adding cories. What if they chew on his tails?

 

[taylorodw]

Where did you get your kuhlis from? Did you have to go to a specialty store?

I want kuhlis but I don't want to order online.

 

[WhiteDevil]

I got mine from the petsmart, the only store in the area that stocked them.


My kuhlis love my betta, its the red minors im worried about surviving.