Khuli Loaches

[littlen]

hi,
I have just posted in livebearers about problems with my platys and found out the 'worm fish' that has been in my tank for the past 3 years is infact a khuli loach.
Im not that experienced with fish keeping despite having my tank for 5 years, i have in that time only ever had this loach and an angelfish. When the angelfish died i bought 5 platys.

I am currently trying to improve my tank and get a better understanding of proper fish keeping, its not the best looking at the moment and once my platy's are sorted and healthy again im looking at getting some plants etc. However i have read up on the loach i have owned and found out they like large groups. Mine is solitary and has been for the 3 years i have had it, to be honest it rarely comes out but i do like it and it seems to enjoy cleaning bits of food etc which is handy! and i am thinking about getting another one once my tank is sorted again.

I have a 20 gallon tank which is currently housing 5 platies, one platy fry and one khuli loach.
How many (if any) would my tank be able to handle? How many would you say is the right amount, or is my little fish happier on its own?
Also what can i get to make it happier, at the moment i have alot of slate which it hides in and some plastic plants but im looking into getting some more to improve the look of my tank and health of my fish!

thanks.

 

[Davo86]

Hello again,

IMO you could easily keep a group of five (or more)
Kuhlis are very sociable and the more you have the more active they will be. As you say with just having one they will rarely venture out of their hiding place

Kuhlis also like to have a lot of hiding places in the tank in order to make them feel secure, once they feel secure in a tank they will not be afraid to come out into the open as they know there are places to hide if need be.

a pic of the tank may help us give the best advice on what could be changed if anything

 

[littlen]

Ok so here is a pic of my tank, terrible looking at the moment with basically nothing in, hence why im trying to fix it. When i first got it i did get plants but they all died and i removed them, i also tried bogroot which would not stop turning the water yellow so switched to slate.
any ideas to make my fish happier and better suited to afew more loaches?
Im looking at getting plants etc but do fake plants work just as well in keeping the fish happier?
Also the tank is 20 gallon, and longer than in the pic as i accidently cut some of it off, the black on the right is the filter

 

[Davo86]

I'd personally get a hammer to the slate and try and break it down into smaller pieces so that you can build lots of caves and bridges, you could even just build up the slate in the corners leaving the centre open, You will often find that when there are a few large pieces in the tank it can be easy for debri to get caught underneath and start to rot away

artificial plants work just as well, if not better in some cases, I would add a few big leaved artificial plants were the platys can hide under

 

[pippoodle]

I'd personally get a hammer to the slate and try and break it down into smaller pieces so that you can build lots of caves and bridges, you could even just build up the slate in the corners leaving the centre open, You will often find that when there are a few large pieces in the tank it can be easy for debri to get caught underneath and start to rot away

artificial plants work just as well, if not better in some cases, I would add a few big leaved artificial plants were the platys can hide under

my guppys , platys and khulis all live happily in this tank , with shrimp and snails (childrens tank)
theres a large slate ornament at the back and a small cave thing on the right hand side
the khulis are out and about a lot now took about 4 weeks to settle in fully

 

[mattbond]

i have 5 kuhlis in a 110 litre tank, and iv been told that they have such a small bioload i could have a few more if i wanted lol

 

[millym]

hi
khulis are great little fish and as everyone has said will be out more if theyre in a group & have lots of hidey holes to escape to. you can also use small bits of pipe (like the stuff a plumber would use ) for them to hide in we have 5 khulis in our small tank & they are always out & about & love the small 2-3cm bits of pipe, you often see a couple in one pipe squashed together! You can position the pipe so its hidden or if you could get hold of black pipe that would be much better looking.

 

[millym]

oh i meant to say your tank's not that bad! i could post you a pic of our big tank when we started out - was very bare with a nice fake plant background, but you learn more & more, learn what plants survive what dont etc etc & get better & better at fishkeeping thats what makes it so rewarding esp when you start to look at your own tank & think wow it looks great & i did that!!!