A Few Kuhli Questions.

[Ben M]

hi, i have recently bought 6 kuhli loaches for my 4ft community, and today i'm going to buy 6 more. but i have a few questions.

1. what foods can i feed them other than sinking tablets? i can feed earthworms, peas, cucumber and courgette. i think i remember reading that they like meaty foods, but i can't remember where i read it.

2. i bought the current 6 black kuhlis from the shop that i'm getting the new ones from, but the ones i'm going to get today are from a different batch, so will they definitely be the same species. (they look exactly the same, but i've read that there are many similar species).

3. how can i sex them? they are about 2" long at the shop, and some are quite thick, but some are thinner. also, there is one that is about 3" long, and quite thin, so are any of these ways of sexing them?

4. also, the current ones are all hiding under the bogwood in my tank, so will getting these new ones give them more confidence to leave the bogwood?

cheers

 

[Ben M]

no thoughts? i'm going soon, so help needed asap!

cheers

 

[jameshughes1989]

Hey, When I had them I fed everything, from forzen bloodworm, brine shrimp, to a quality flake and peas too. They do prefer meaty foods though.
I'd imagine they would be of the same species. Most fish places tend to use the same sources for the fish continually so it would surprise me if they were different.
Not too sure about this, but I did once read that the females will be more plump, so the thicker ones of the same size would be the females. Not 100% though. Breeding them is meant to be quite a challenge though, dont expect to have fry soon and they also takes ages to get to any great size.
The more in numbers, the braver they will be. When I eventually went down to one he would still swim around one the front of the glass but it took a while for them to be comfortable to come out. If they ever saw me in the room, they would hide. They are also more likely to come out in the open if they have lots of hiding places, it gives htem the opposite effect rather than hide. Hope that helps,

James

 

[Ben M]

thanks, that was really helpful i'll try them with some earthworms and see if they try it. i'll also add some more cover for them. it turned out that we didn't have time to go to the shop today, as some people came to buy our old kennel, so we had to stay in. so i'm going to get the others tomorrow. do you think the one that is 3" and thin is an older male? and should i get that one, or try and get ones all of similar size?

cheers

 

[jameshughes1989]

thanks, that was really helpful i'll try them with some earthworms and see if they try it. i'll also add some more cover for them. it turned out that we didn't have time to go to the shop today, as some people came to buy our old kennel, so we had to stay in. so i'm going to get the others tomorrow. do you think the one that is 3" and thin is an older male? and should i get that one, or try and get ones all of similar size?

cheers

Oh unlucky! He could be male but it is hard to tell. I think it is personal pref to what ones you get. Like I said Ive read that breeding isnt easy so I wouldnt worry bout mixed sexes unless you really wanted to try to breed them. Just make sure they are healthy and are feeding well.

James

 

[Ben M]

hi, i'll just get some of the 2" ones then.i would like to breed them, but i'm not going to really try hard to breed them. i have fed earthworms today, and i think they got some. i saw a worm being dragged under the bogwood, and i saw a kuhli eating a little worm. so things are looking good ATM, only problem is that i hardly see them. will they get more confident over time? and will getting the other 6 make them more confident?

cheers

 

[Curiosity101]

Getting the 6 extra should make them more confident yes. But by nature they're shy fish and prefer to come out at night. Just try to arrange decor so that you can see into hidey holes, but they still feel comfortable.

I have some kuhli loach that are around 2 years old and I think I have a couple of females (ie. 2 are significantly plumper than the others). But I'm unsure. And I think it's pretty much taken for granted that they wont breed unless you actually put in the effort to make them breed. And you need mature kuhlis. I would imagine that the 3" one may be mature enough, but I'm not sure.

 

[Ben M]

thanks, so won't they come out in the day much? i might get the bigger one because he does look quite cool. i've read about a lot of people who have bred them by accident, so it is possible? i'll try to make more places for them to hide.

cheers

 

[Curiosity101]

They'll be around during the day. But mainly just travelling from one hiding place to another and back again.
Personally I can always see mine and they seem quite happy travelling along the front of the tank n such. But they don't spend much time literally out in the open. It's just not in their nature. Not until the lights go out anyways.

 

[Ben M]

thanks, so they will get more confident, just not as confident as my other fish. i think they are getting better and when i get some more i hope they'll be more confident.

cheers for the info!

 

[jameshughes1989]

Yea it takes a long time, and safety in numbers too. When they are comfortable they are amazing to watch. They swim up and down the glass, so cool to watch

James

 

[MrNiceGuy]

hi, i have recently bought 6 kuhli loaches for my 4ft community, and today i'm going to buy 6 more. but i have a few questions.

1. what foods can i feed them other than sinking tablets? i can feed earthworms, peas, cucumber and courgette. i think i remember reading that they like meaty foods, but i can't remember where i read it.

2. i bought the current 6 black kuhlis from the shop that i'm getting the new ones from, but the ones i'm going to get today are from a different batch, so will they definitely be the same species. (they look exactly the same, but i've read that there are many similar species).

3. how can i sex them? they are about 2" long at the shop, and some are quite thick, but some are thinner. also, there is one that is about 3" long, and quite thin, so are any of these ways of sexing them?

4. also, the current ones are all hiding under the bogwood in my tank, so will getting these new ones give them more confidence to leave the bogwood?

cheers

4 foot tank? you should go for dojo loaches

bigger, more active, less shy, still peaceful... all good things.

 

[didz04]

hi, i have recently bought 6 kuhli loaches for my 4ft community, and today i'm going to buy 6 more. but i have a few questions.

1. what foods can i feed them other than sinking tablets? i can feed earthworms, peas, cucumber and courgette. i think i remember reading that they like meaty foods, but i can't remember where i read it.

2. i bought the current 6 black kuhlis from the shop that i'm getting the new ones from, but the ones i'm going to get today are from a different batch, so will they definitely be the same species. (they look exactly the same, but i've read that there are many similar species).

3. how can i sex them? they are about 2" long at the shop, and some are quite thick, but some are thinner. also, there is one that is about 3" long, and quite thin, so are any of these ways of sexing them?

4. also, the current ones are all hiding under the bogwood in my tank, so will getting these new ones give them more confidence to leave the bogwood?

cheers

4 foot tank? you should go for dojo loaches

bigger, more active, less shy, still peaceful... all good things.

Thats a nice looking golden weather loach. It really depends if you don't want plants out of the gravel and rocks tumbled over then weather loaches not the best choice unless you have a suitable tank setup. They are strong fish and can dig up anything but yeah definitely entertaining fish.

I had 4 kuhli loach but the brown/yellow types and they came out to the front on the 1st week and swimming around crazily at times. I have a potted plant which used to be their hideout and I attached a small see-through pipe where you see them travel through to the rocks. They are really good scavengers and can survive on little bits of food scattered around ontop of the gravel so I used to throw in flake food mainly for them.
What type of gravel do you have, sand? I was hoping to get some for my 4ft after if I do turn the tank into community. I have white silico sand and wanted to know if they dig and stay in there.

 

[Ben M]

thanks, i am planting my tank, so i don't think the dojo loaches would work, although they are really cool! i have 1/3 gravel and 2/3 silver sand (gravel on the left and sand on the right; not mixed). they don't dig right down into the sand, but quite often they dig down a couple of cm. they look really funny when they shovel the sand behind them.

cheers

 

[Ben M]

hi, just got another 6 kuhlis today. they are all ready coming out more. they were all swimming around the front when the lights were still on. so i'm hoping to see more of them now.

cheers