Kuhli loach care
Pangio kuhlii · Streams of Indonesia and Malaysia
Kuhli loaches are eel-like, banded loaches that hide by day and come out in the evening.
- Tank size
- 20 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 75 to 82 °F (24 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- 5 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 4 in
- pH
- 5.5 to 7
- Hardness (GH)
- 2 to 10 dGH
- Lifespan
- 8 to 14 years
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Care level
- Easy
In a 20 gallon long
30¼ × 12½ × 12¾ in outsideHow to keep kuhli loaches
Kuhli loaches are eel-like, banded loaches that hide by day and come out in the evening. Keep five or more in a 20 gallon or larger tank with soft sand to burrow in, plants and leaf litter. They squeeze through tiny gaps, so cover filter intakes.
Diet: Omnivore: sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm, worms. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Kuhli loach tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Upside-down catfish
4 in · 29+ gal · 72–79 °F
Keyhole cichlid
4 in · 30+ gal · 72–80 °F
Golden wonder killifish
4 in · 20+ gal · 72–79 °F
Banded gourami
4 in · 30+ gal · 72–82 °F
Pearl gourami
4.5 in · 29+ gal · 77–82 °F
Dwarf gourami
3.5 in · 10+ gal · 77–82 °F
Paradise fish
3.5 in · 20+ gal · 61–79 °F
Five-banded barb
3.5 in · 29+ gal · 74–84 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: kuhli loaches need 75 to 82 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Fancy goldfish: No shared temperature: kuhli loaches need 75 to 82 °F, fancy goldfish 64 to 74 °F.
Convict cichlid: Convict cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as kuhli loaches.
Jewel cichlid: Jewel cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as kuhli loaches.
Oranda: No shared temperature: kuhli loaches need 75 to 82 °F, orandas 64 to 74 °F.
What a kuhli loach tank needs
A tank of 20 US gallons or more (such as the 20 gallon long) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 10
Rated by the maker for up to 20 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon kuhli loach tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon kuhli loach tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 100W
Kuhli loaches need 75 to 82 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding kuhli loaches.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 75 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 20 gallon tank · Heaters for a 20 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common kuhli loach problems
- Disappearing into the filter: put a sponge over the intake.
- Rarely seen in bright, bare tanks; more of them and more cover brings them out.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Pangio kuhlii. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Kuhli loach Iidkk, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Upside-down catfish John P. Friel Ph.D., CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Keyhole cichlid D.W., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Golden wonder killifish Marrabbio2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Banded gourami Sandipan Das, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pearl gourami h080, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf gourami Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Paradise fish André Karwath; edited by Muhammad, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Five-banded barb NasserHalaweh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fancy goldfish Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Convict cichlid S. Olkowicz, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Jewel cichlid NasserHalaweh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Oranda Lawrencekhoo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Clown loach Vlad Butsky, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf chain loach Stefan Maurer, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Reticulated hillstream loach Spiketooth, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Siamese algae eater aleander2137, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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