I Have A Ghostly Kuhli Loach Haunting My Tank

[halfbloodprincess]

Did he look like a normal kuhli when you got him, but then after a while turn that color?

 

[Teelie]

It was several months ago and I can't remember the color it was when we first tried catching him (we had to dig through the gravel to scare it up first) but I do remember it being that pale when we caught it finally and pretty much ever since I've had it. So I'm not positive it started this color, but it has stayed this color for certain. Even when there is no reason for it to possibly be stressed, and none of the other Kuhlis are discolored so it's not likely anything in the tank. The parameters are all good and they get 50% weekly water changes.

 

[halfbloodprincess]

Interesting

 

[OohFeeshy]

For comparison purposes, I'll do a clean-up in the 2ft and see if I can nab some pics of a kuhli actually under 'stress' colouration. And see if the eely want to play ball too

 

[annka5]

I could well be totally wrong on this... but some fish can radically change colour if they loose their eyesight - discus for example can go dark and stay dark if this happens (darker colouration would normally be stress response in them).
Could your khulli be having a similar reaction? I really am guessing here, so will happily accept being shot down in flames!!!!

 

[Teelie]

I've heard of it, the best example of it naturally occuring being blind cave fish but I don't know if it happens to fish that always had eyesight like this.

 

[The-Wolf]

xanthic is a colour or more precisly an abnormal colour variation.
Xanthic \Xan"thic\, a. [Gr. xanqo`s yellow: cf. F. xanthique.]
1. Tending toward a yellow color, or to one of those colors,
green being excepted, in which yellow is a constituent, as
scarlet, orange, etc.
HTH

the most commonly seen xanthic animals are in the constrictor group of snakes.

 

[Teelie]

That makes more sense, and explains why I couldn't find any information. Still curious to the exact species though as it's profile doesn't seem to match up to any I can find.