Kuhli Loach

[Bodie1999]

I got a new loach 5 days ago .... He didn't go strait away and hide but after about 30 minutes he was hiding and I haven't seen him since can somebody tell me if he is probably dead or if this is normal (i do have a lid on the tank)

 

[fluttermoth]

It is normal, yes, especially if you have only one.

The more you have, the more confident they feel and the more likely you are to see them out and about. Nearly all loaches, including kuhlis, are very social and should be kept in groups of at least five or six (of the same species), assuming you have the space in your tank to get more of course.

As always, if you're worried about any fish, you should check that your tank is a suitable size, that your other fish are compatible and test the water for ammonia and nitrite.

 

[RRaquariums]

I have 7 of them and they still spend a lot of there time hiding under logs and rocks so even with large numbers they still hide and even if you take the whole tank apart they always seem to hid some place lol.

 

[Ninjouzata]

I have 7, and mine did hide quite a bit when I had gravel.
I've switched to sand and now they're always out and about..not sure why it'd cause that or if that'd work for someone else but it made me happy c:

 

[RRaquariums]

Mine are on gravel and always come out at feeding time and scavenge off the bottom.

 

[yoruyongbpei]

Just give your Kuhli Loach time, if you really want to view them, wait till night make sure you have all lights off, and use a red filtered flashlight, a good number of fish can't see red so this will give you a view into the night life of your fish, Kuhli loaches tend to like to feed at night but of course there are always exceptions to this, my striped Kuhli loach is actually seen out during the day alot and has a tendency to follow around my Striped Raphael Catfish. my other two Kuhli black Loaches tend to like to hide, dragging food from the bottom into their Colosseum cave behind the scenes and during night time they love to swim around scavenging uneaten foodstuffs, If you have a picture it would be great to be able to identify just exactly what type of Kuhli loach it is