Loaches Online Forum

Hi Folks

In the process of completely tearing apart my 75 for re-aquascaping I found two pangio I didn't know I still had. They appear to be one myersi and one kuhli. They've been in there at least two years, maybe longer. Now I'm trying to decide what tank they may do best in.

The tank they're in has a flourite substrate, not soft at all. However it has been heavily planted and heavily overgorwn with dwarf sag and other plants covering the substrate entirely. My new plan for the tank will still be heavily planted but with a lot better grooming and just patches of sagittaria. It will be much less overgrown if I stick to my plan
The bottom dwelling tank mates are 9 botia striata and a few cories.

The other tank is a 125 with a playsand substrate. It's lightly planted and will remain that way. The majority of the substrate is open and free of plants and plant litter but there are lots of fun rock piles and stuff to hide under and wiggle around. The bottom dwellers include two horseface loaches and a whole bunch of cories.

Which tank do you think the kuhli's will like better? The flourite is sharper but that tank has more plant cover and they do seem to have their barbels still. I assume they've been fine with it.
I can't decide whether to move them or not. I will of course obtain more pangio's to join them as soon as possible.

Heavily planted for sure. If you get a few more so you have at least 5 or 6, they are likely to be out a lot if they have good cover. I have one with lots of plants and another one sparsely planted with sand substrate and a rock pile. In the former they (6 P. kuhli) come out when I feed like clock work, and they are often out at other times as well. In the other one (7 P. myersi) they hide in the rocks, and just come out briefly or stick their heads out to feed.

Too bad you can't switch the plants. Heavily planted and a soft substrate is the ideal. Unless you'd be willing to try some leaf litter in your less-planted tank... That might work well too.

Why not keep one group in one tank and the other group in the other tank.

play sand tank

Well, I made the decision at the time to leave them in the flourite planted tank. But, I've de-planted it so much that I feel really bad for them. It will grow in again but in the meantime seeing them on that substrate just makes me wince. It shouldn't I suppose, they've been in there a long time after all, I didn't even know they were still there
This is an old tank. the substrate was originally sand and flourite mixed and it didn't seem bad for the kuhli's back then but the sand has all sifted to the the bottom now.
I'm hesitating to add any more because I'm feeling uncertain as it is about their suitability for that tank.

a different sort of question ...just to make me feel worse, lol.

They live with Striata, a trial on the patience for all other bottom dwellers...poor kuhli's can't hide anywhere without a nosy botia barging into ,over or under them. Are these two species even considered good tankmates?

I think I've just rambled myself into trying to get them out of there now.
Must go scheme on how to trap them...

Add more (temporary) caves like broken clay pots.
Trap them in a soda bottle trap.
They have been thriving in the tank with flourite and heavily planted. I would keep them in the tank, and let the plants regrow to provide similar cover.