Varieties Of Coolie Loach?

[B13]

Hi all,


Are there different varieties/species/sub-species of coolie loaches?

I've got three in my tank and the two big ones have 'square' stripes that reach over the back and down to the belly, but the smaller one has more 'U' shaped stripes that stop short of reaching it's belly. This one also seems to always be on his/her own and doesn't mix with the other two...

(Methinks I'll try get him/her a similar lil' friend at some point!)

Are there more than one type?




Also, my two big 'uns are CONSTANTLY active swimming round and round and round and round and round at high speed. Any ideas why? (My water tests results are all pretty much OK...)

 

[flash22]

nothing to worry about tbh there a nutty fish lol. one minute there hiding and all shy next there up front going mad

I have seen a few listed as khuili or coolie loaches standard orange with black stripes, black with orange stripes, black with fine orange banding and plain black

maybe worth having a look on the loach forum (like planet catfish but for loachs lol.)

<a href="http/www.loaches.com/" target="_blank">http/www.loaches.com/</a>

edit.

Pangio alternans

Borneo Kuhli Loach

Pangio anguillaris Eel Loach, Eel Kuhli/Coolie

Pangio cf. anguillaris

Brown Eel Kuhli Loach

Pangio cuneovirgata Pangio robignosa, Acanthopthalmus cuneovirgata Khuli Loach

Pangio doriae Eucirrhichthys doriae Golden Eel Loach, Golden Eel Kuhli/Coolie, Pink Kuhli

Pangio filinaris Kuhli Loach

Pangio kuhlii Acanthophthalmus kuhlii, Cobitis kuhlii Kuhli Loach, Coolie Loach, Leopard Eel, Prickly Eye

Pangio malayana Acanthophthalmus kuhlii malayanus Kuhli Loach

Pangio myersi Acanthophthalmus mysersi Giant Kuhli, Myer's loach, Myer's Kuhli

Pangio oblonga Pangio javanicus, Acanthophthalmus javanicus Black Kuhli, Chocolate Kuhli, Cinnamon Loach, Java Loach

Pangio pangia Cobitis pangia, Cobitis cinnamomea, Acanthophthalmus pangia, Canthophrys rubiginosus, Pangia cinnamomea Cinnamon Loach, Cinnamon Kuhli Loach

Pangio piperata Brown Kuhli Loach

Pangio semicincta Acanthophthalmus semicinctus, Pangio semicinctus Half Banded Kuhli Loach

Pangio shelfordi Acanthophthalmus shelfordi, Acanthophthalmus muraeniformis Borneo Loach, Shelford's Loach, Spotted Eel Loach, Spotted
Kuhli Loach

 

[mikev]

Post photo's if you want to try to id them.

from the description, larger animals with "square" bands may be P.Myersi's, and the U-shaped may be P.Kuhli or P.Semicincta, or another species.

High-speed swimming is a common reaction to new water, this is how kuhlis acclimate. They will settle down in a few days. You may see this swimming again after a large water change and sometimes because of a weather change (change in atmospheric pressure, perhaps?).

hth

 

[B13]

Post photo's if you want to try to id them.

Hee!! This is gonna be fun:

A. Find coolies.

B. Put camera on the fastest shutter speed possible.

C. Aim in vague direction of fish, hit button and hope for the best...


(All the pics of my coolies so far consist of a tail as it streaks past the camera!!!)

High-speed swimming is a common reaction to new water, this is how kuhlis acclimate. They will settle down in a few days. You may see this swimming again after a large water change and sometimes because of a weather change (change in atmospheric pressure, perhaps?).

Ah...

That makes sense. I've had to do 50% water changes because the LFS failed to tell me that a tank needs to 'cycle'. As you can imagine, the water chemistry was all over the place! It's now stabilised, but I'm still doing once-a-week 30% changes and keeping an eye on things.

maybe worth having a look on the loach forum (like planet catfish but for loachs lol.)

Will do!!

 

[B13]

Blimey...

After trawling through my Flickr account, I actually found a pic of the smallest of the three coolies:

This is the little fella that's always on his own.



(The other two look very much like the pic here...)

 

[loachman]

There are around a dozen "pangio" loaches which are commonly called kuhlies or coolies.

www.loaches.com has a pictoral species ID where you select the shape and color patterns and it works down to species photos for ID. It's a pretty good tool.

I'm guessing that photo is of a Pangio kuhlii or a Pangio malayana

 

[mikev]

Blimey...

After trawling through my Flickr account, I actually found a pic of the smallest of the three coolies:

This is the little fella that's always on his own.



(The other two look very much like the pic here...)

Almost certain P.Kuhli, low probability P.Semicincta, definitely not P.Malayana.

 

[B13]

Ah! Cool!!!


This is other 'type' of coolie in my tank (it's a good 3 inches long):

 

[loachman]

Blimey...

After trawling through my Flickr account, I actually found a pic of the smallest of the three coolies:

This is the little fella that's always on his own.



(The other two look very much like the pic here...)

Almost certain P.Kuhli, low probability P.Semicincta, definitely not P.Malayana.

What are you basing that on? I'm not very good at Pangio ID, and wondered what the tell tale difference is.

 

[mikev]

_Nobody really knows_.

In P.Malayana the shape of stripes is more triangular and they for the most part do not descend further down than the lateral line.

The 2nd loach is also in P.Kuhli/P.Semicincta area. It may be the same species, or not. That it does not hang around with other kuhlis does not mean much; kuhlis don't generally mind hanging around with similar kuhlis of other species, otoh, personalities differ. That it is smaller also does not mean much : it may grow. Or it may not.

Here is one of mine for comparison:

The colors are correct, this fellow is amelanistic (no body black). Pattern-wise, it is a P.Kuhli. However, it is also pretty small (2.5") and it did not grow any in the years I have it, it only very slightly fattened. Smaller individual? Another subspecies/regional variation? No way to know

Maybe we can see better from a focused photo of the first loach....maybe not.

 

[millym]

hi
we've got 4 stripey khulis at the mo & 2 are almost identical in their striped pattern the others are different. we've also had a khuli in hte past who was bright yellow with the brown. our khulis go through phases when they too swim madly around the tank usually up & down in the corners, also when our water is fine think its just daft loach behaviour, we also have 3 brown khulis & they generally are always more active than the stripey ones although as they get older you dont see the swimming about so often. khulis also will be out more often if they feel safe - in a bigger group & where they have lots of places to hide. we had striped khulis in our 4ft tank & we never saw them, they may stil be there but havent seen any sign now for over 6 months, our striped khulis in our small 40L betta tank are always out day & night, they have loads of rock caves to hide in, small bits of hosepipe & lots of plants in there, they do their mad swimming thing usually at moonlight time or lights out time.
great little fish.