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Kuhli loach


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The kuhli loach, Pangio kuhlii, is a small eel-like freshwater fish belonging to the loach family (Cobitidae). It originates in Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula.

The kuhli loach is an eel-shaped fish, elongated with slightly compressed sides, 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, there is no known way to distinguish between males and females. 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. Maximum size is 4 inches (10 cm) long (matures at 2?¾ in/7 cm), and four pairs of barbels around their mouth.

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 pH-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 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.