Breeding Kuhli Loach

The Kuhli Loach is quite simply a friendly fish. Full of beans, eager to interact with its own species and not finicky about food either. In short, a dream come true for an aquarist. The kuhli loach is a fascinating and hardy species that fits well into a small fish community aquarium. They like clean, clear water, and do best with aquarium gravel, such as fine sand, that does not have sharp edges. This approximately duplicates their natural habitat, which is the sandy beds of mountain streams or slow flowing rivers. They actually seem to do better in an aquarium that has a slight buildup of organic mulm or peat moss on the surface of the substrate.

  • Aquarium Care: They accept a wide range of water chemistries pH of 5.5 to 7.5 and hardness up to 200 parts per million (ppm) although optimum values seem to be more like a pH of 6.3 to 6.8 and a hardness below 80 ppm. Cool temperatures are preferred (70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit), but they will accept temperatures into the low 80s for short periods of time. You will really need to observe your kuhli loach closely if you want to know what its up to because it seldom comes out in the open and cannot be enjoyed for its comical actions. If it is kept in small groups, the kuhli loach will be seen swimming in and around piles of rocks, under and over pieces of driftwood or around the stems of plants. It will be out looking for food, playing tag with its friends or simply "sunning" itself on a raised object in short, it will act more like it would in the wild.
  • Food: Feeding the kuhli loach poses no problems. They are very adept at locating bits of food in an aquarium, and are often included in an aquarium to ensure that there is no buildup of uneaten foods under rocks or wood. They eat prepared flakes, freeze-dried foods and any small live foods that settle to the bottom, but have a real fondness for small worms, such as grindal worms, white worms or Tubifex. It is important to limit the amount of worms in their diets because worms are a rich, fat-filled food, and a balanced diet is much better for the fish.
  • Breeding: There are many reports of spontaneous breeding in the home aquarium. It has been said that the pair will closely intertwine at the water surface and scatter the eggs over the area. Females carrying eggs are said to become obese as spawning approaches.It is also worth mentioning that all "kuhli" loaches aren't necessarily real kuhli loaches. There are a number of very similar species in the genus Acanthophthalmus. The real kuhli loach, Acanthophthalmus kuhlii, is a 3?-inch fish from Indonesia, Sumatra, Java, Malaya and Thailand. It has 15 to 20 dark bars on its flanks that almost circle the body, but stop at the belly. There are two subspecies (maybe three) that have variations in the length of the bars and narrow bands within the bars.