Kuhli Loach
Encyclopedia
The Kuhli Loach is a small eel
-like freshwater fish
belonging to the loach
family
(Cobitidae). It originates in Indonesia
and the Malay Peninsula
. This snake-like creature is very slender and nocturnal. In an enclosed or shared habitat, the kuhli loach hides, and when startled, swims around very fast.
-but will tolerate 7.0 pH in aquaria, a water hardness of 5.0 dGH
, and a temperature range of 75 - 86 °F (24 - 30 °C). Kuhli Loaches are scavengers, so they will eat anything that hits the bottom. Kuhli loaches usually feed in the night time, but can be taught to be fed in the day in the home aquarium.
in 1846 to commemorate Heinrich Kuhl
works as naturalist
and zoologist. The fish is also commonly called coolie loach, giant coolie loach, slimy loach, and leopard loach. In scientific literature, it has been referred to as Acanthophthalmus kuhlii. The genus name Acanthophthalmus is a junior synonym of Pangio.
. There are a number of species of the genus Pangio that appear similar and are sold under the same name, require similar care, and are all excellently suited for household tanks. They tend to be hardy and long-lived in the aquarium and get along well with their own kind as well as others.
In an aquarium environment, especially if the gravel is suitably finely grained, Pangio species can burrow into the bottom and there remain unseen for long periods of time, emerging to eat during the night. If the gravel is later disturbed, a hobbyist might well find themselves faced with fish assumed lost a long time ago.
Breeding in captivity requires plenty of hiding spaces and consistent water quality.
Eel
Eels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators...
-like freshwater fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
belonging to the loach
Loach (fish)
Cobitidae is the family of the true loaches, which are Old World freshwater fish. They occur throughout Eurasia and in Morocco, and inhabit riverine ecosystems. Today, most "loaches" are placed in other families...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Cobitidae). It originates in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
. This snake-like creature is very slender and nocturnal. In an enclosed or shared habitat, the kuhli loach hides, and when startled, swims around very fast.
Physical description
The kuhli loach is an eel-shaped fish with slightly compressed sides, four pairs of barbels around the mouth, and very small fins. The dorsal fin starts behind the middle of the body, and the anal fin well behind this. The eyes are covered with a transparent skin. The body has 10 to 15 dark brown to black vertical bars, and the gaps between them are salmon pink to yellow with a light underside. When the fish is not actively breeding, distinctions between males and females are not readily apparent. However, close observation will reveal that males have more a muscular upper/dorsal cross-section and their pectoral fins tend to be larger, more paddle-shaped, and often have some pigment in them. When breeding, the females often become monstrously fat and their greenish ovaries can be seen through the skin before spawning. Spawning is not easy, but when it occurs a few hundred greenish eggs are laid among the roots of floating plants. Kuhli loaches reach maturity at inches (7 cm) and have a maximum length of 4 inches (10 cm).Habitat, diet, Parameters, and related information
The natural habitat of the kuhli loach is the sandy beds of slow-moving rivers and clean mountain streams. They are a social fish and are typically found in small clusters (they are not schooling fish but enjoy the company of their species), but are cautious and nocturnal by nature and swim near the bottom where they feed around obstacles. They natively live in a tropical climate and prefer water with a 5.5 - 6.5 pHPH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...
-but will tolerate 7.0 pH in aquaria, a water hardness of 5.0 dGH
DGH
Degrees of general hardness is a unit of water hardness, specifically of general hardness.General hardness is a measure of the concentration of metal divalent ions such as calcium and magnesium per volume of water...
, and a temperature range of 75 - 86 °F (24 - 30 °C). Kuhli Loaches are scavengers, so they will eat anything that hits the bottom. Kuhli loaches usually feed in the night time, but can be taught to be fed in the day in the home aquarium.
Other noteworthy information
In the wild, the fish spawn communally in very shallow water. The kuhli loach is a bottom dweller that burrows into soft places. Its ordinal name 'Acanthophthalmus' comes from the meaning 'thorn' or 'prickle-eye', after a spine beneath each eye.Etymology of name
The kuhli loach was originally described as Cobitis kuhlii by Achille ValenciennesAchille Valenciennes
Achille Valenciennes was a French zoologist.Valenciennes was born in Paris, and studied under Georges Cuvier. Valenciennes' study of parasitic worms in humans made an important contribution to the study of parasitology...
in 1846 to commemorate Heinrich Kuhl
Heinrich Kuhl
Heinrich Kuhl was a German naturalist and zoologist.Kuhl was born in Hanau. He became assistant to Coenraad Jacob Temminck at the Leiden museum. In 1817 he published a monograph on bats and in 1819 he published Conspectus psittacorum...
works as naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
and zoologist. The fish is also commonly called coolie loach, giant coolie loach, slimy loach, and leopard loach. In scientific literature, it has been referred to as Acanthophthalmus kuhlii. The genus name Acanthophthalmus is a junior synonym of Pangio.
In the aquarium
The kuhli loach is commonly kept as a pet in tropical aquariaAquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
. There are a number of species of the genus Pangio that appear similar and are sold under the same name, require similar care, and are all excellently suited for household tanks. They tend to be hardy and long-lived in the aquarium and get along well with their own kind as well as others.
In an aquarium environment, especially if the gravel is suitably finely grained, Pangio species can burrow into the bottom and there remain unseen for long periods of time, emerging to eat during the night. If the gravel is later disturbed, a hobbyist might well find themselves faced with fish assumed lost a long time ago.
Breeding in captivity requires plenty of hiding spaces and consistent water quality.
See also
- List of freshwater aquarium fish species
- Care information for the Kuhli loach