Name: Kuhli Loach
Brand: Brooklands
SKU: 15421
Price: 7.95 NZD
Availability: OutOfStock

Kuhli Loach

Product Details

Kuhli Loach (Pangio semifasciata / Pangio强制 kuhlii complex)

NOT AVAILABLE TO SHIP - In-store Only

Overview: The Kuhli Loach is one of the most endearing and uniquely shaped oddball fish in the freshwater hobby. With an elongated, eel-like body, they look like tiny striped noodles slithering along the bottom of your tank. They typically sport a rich golden-yellow to orange underbelly accented by 12 to 17 thick, dark-chocolate vertical bands that wrap around their backs. They have tiny eyes covered by a protective transparent skin layer and a mouth fringed with four pairs of sensitive sensory barbels.

Origins: They are native to the warm, slow-moving tropical streams, peat swamps, and blackwater rivers of Southeast Asia, primarily across Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. In the wild, they spend their time buried under thick layers of waterlogged leaf litter or soft river mud.

Personality: Kuhli Loaches are incredibly peaceful, gentle, and a little bit eccentric. They are primarily nocturnal scavengers, meaning they will spend the brightest hours of the day squeezed together into the tightest, darkest cracks they can find. Once they feel comfortable—or when food hits the water—they emerge to perform what hobbyists call the "Kuhli Loach dance," loops and spirals up and down the tank glass.

Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Peaceful (100% community and shrimp-friendly)
Diet: Omnivore/Scavenger (Sinking pellets, crushed flakes, and frozen treats like bloodworms, daphnia, or brine shrimp that sink to the floor)
Max Size: 8 – 10 cm
Family: Cobitidae
Tank Size: 60 Litres minimum (They need plenty of floor space rather than height)
Temperature: 24°C – 30°C (They thrive in warmer tropical setups)
pH: 6.0 – 7.0 (Prefers slightly acidic to neutral water)
Should be kept in groups? Yes, strictly. This is the number one secret to keeping Kuhli Loaches. You must keep them in a group of at least 5 or 6. If you keep only one or two, they will become paralyzed by fear, hide constantly, and you may literally not see them for months at a time. In a large group, they gain collective confidence and will be seen exploring during daylight hours.

⚠️ Critical Tank Setup Checklists for Kuhli Loaches:

1. The Substrate Rules: Because they love to burrow and sift through the ground, you must use smooth sand or very fine, rounded gravel. Coarse, sharp gravel will scratch their sensitive bellies and slice off their delicate mouth whiskers.

2. Escape Artists: Kuhli Loaches are incredibly flexible and curious. If there is a gap in your tank lid, an exposed filter intake pipe, or an open filter compartment, they will climb or squeeze into it. Make sure your aquarium is tightly sealed and your filter intake is covered with a fine pre-filter sponge!