My kuhli loach!

[xMaisy]

Hi all, I have researched the needs for kuhli loaches to live and decided to get some bottom feeders. I bought two over a month ago and they literally just disappeared?!?!! Like no corpses in the tank at all!? So I checked water etc. levels and completely cleaned the tank and the rocks/ gravel. After two weeks I tried a again and saw they were social and got 4. Unfortunately, I’ve just found one that had died today (I must’ve found it just after it died because it was only slightly discoloured and at the bottom of the tank, not frigid) I haven’t seen any problems with them at all, this is the only one I’ve seen actually dead. I have nothing in the tank that eats them or attacks them and I don’t know what to do! These ones have been in the tank for over a week and there are others that are still alive but I don’t want them to have the same fate.
They have plenty of rocks and plants to hide in/ under and I can’t figure out what is so bad that they die. Please help! (Net has fish food in because I just fed them when I found it, tank is clean).

 

[hansgruber7]

We'll need more information to help. Kuhlis are pretty hardy in my experience. How big is your tank? What else do you have in there? Picture of the tank? What are your parameters? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, etc? Kuhlis are super fun. I hope the rest of them are ok.

 

[xMaisy]

We'll need more information to help. Kuhlis are pretty hardy in my experience. How big is your tank? What else do you have in there? Picture of the tank? What are your parameters? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, etc? Kuhlis are super fun. I hope the rest of them are ok.

We'll need more information to help. Kuhlis are pretty hardy in my experience. How big is your tank? What else do you have in there? Picture of the tank? What are your parameters? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, etc? Kuhlis are super fun. I hope the rest of them are o

We'll need more information to help. Kuhlis are pretty hardy in my experience. How big is your tank? What else do you have in there? Picture of the tank? What are your parameters? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, etc? Kuhlis are super fun. I hope the rest of them are ok.

It’s a 150L tank with loads of hiding places PH is 6.5 it’s about a metre longish an over a foot tall, I haven’t checked the nitrate and ammonia levels as I ran out of tests but a week ago they were perfect. I change the water 30% every week (completely once every 3 weeks max) and have a ammonia filtering filter. I have really small catfish, bristlenosed catfish, different kinds of tetras and a few guppies. I’ve looked before even buying them in case something ate them, it just looks like they’re dying of stress or something?!? I have no idea

 

[PorshaF]

Something that I didn't know about kuhli loaches in the beginning is that they really do best with a sand substrate. They like to dig and forage in the sand, they try to do that on gravel but injury themselves on rocks instead. It probably didn't cause this death but is something to look in to doing for the longevity of your loaches. I hope the rest are doing okay!

 

[hansgruber7]

Hmmm. Yes, I find they do much better on sand or at least something they can burrow into and sift through. But that's probably not what killed your Kuhli. I would get the API Master test kit and test your water for everything in there to make sure it's ok. Not sure if you added anything recently or changed anything. I assume they have enough food probably? Otherwise, it's hard to say what it could be.

 

[Cydeth]

It’s a 150L tank with loads of hiding places PH is 6.5 it’s about a metre longish an over a foot tall, I haven’t checked the nitrate and ammonia levels as I ran out of tests but a week ago they were perfect. I change the water 30% every week (completely once every 3 weeks max) and have a ammonia filtering filter. I have really small catfish, bristlenosed catfish, different kinds of tetras and a few guppies. I’ve looked before even buying them in case something ate them, it just looks like they’re dying of stress or something?!? I have no idea

We really do need to know the specifics of your water.

Please can you let us know the levels for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.

Also, could you tell us how hard or soft your water is? Kuhli loach do best in soft to moderately soft water but you list that you have guppies that prefer water that is harder.

I'm not sure how it works in Australia but you may be able to find details of your tap water hardness by going to your water providers website.

Edit to add- Kuhli are also particularly sensitive to medications. Have you treated the tank with anything recently? Also, what product do you use to treat your tap water before adding it to your aquarium?

 

[xMaisy]

Something that I didn't know about kuhli loaches in the beginning is that they really do best with a sand substrate. They like to dig and forage in the sand, they try to do that on gravel but injury themselves on rocks instead. It probably didn't cause this death but is something to look in to doing for the longevity of your loaches. I hope the rest are doing okay!

Oh really? thank you so much for letting me know! I'm in the middle of creating a giant plant (moss and plants), rock and driftwood tank with compost, sand and it will have a bit of gravel in the bottom, that tank would probably be much better for them when it is done! The others seem fine! ill keep an eye on them though. thank you again for letting me know

 

[xMaisy]

Hmmm. Yes, I find they do much better on sand or at least something they can burrow into and sift through. But that's probably not what killed your Kuhli. I would get the API Master test kit and test your water for everything in there to make sure it's ok. Not sure if you added anything recently or changed anything. I assume they have enough food probably? Otherwise, it's hard to say what it could be.

Thank you for letting me know! Also, ill get that tester kit tomorrow (all shops closed now) and let you all know what the results are. Hopefully they last until I can figure it out. I'm also in the midst of creating a plant tank which will have sand at the bottom, that tank will probably be more suited for the kuhli's when its finally filled with water. Thank you again for replying!

 

[hansgruber7]

I added one kuhli to a ten gallon with a rough substrate a couple years back before I knew what I was doing. Since then I set up a 20 gallon with a sand substrate and added four kuhlis, thinking I would add the one I already had. I just about destroyed my tank trying to catch the one and finally gave up. He seems happy in there though I know they do much better in groups. Good luck catching yours to transfer them! I hope they do ok.

 

[Cydeth]

I added one kuhli to a ten gallon with a rough substrate a couple years back before I knew what I was doing. Since then I set up a 20 gallon with a sand substrate and added four kuhlis, thinking I would add the one I already had. I just about destroyed my tank trying to catch the one and finally gave up. He seems happy in there though I know they do much better in groups. Good luck catching yours to transfer them! I hope they do ok.

They are tough to catch in the best of circumstances.

I bought a group of 6 for my apisto tank a few weeks ago and it took the lad in the shop 20 minutes to catch them. They were being kept in a tank without substrate and only a sponge filter to hide behind.