How Many Kuhli Loaches?

[Erin8D]

Hey there, I am new to these forums, but I need some help with Kuhli loaches. I have a ten gallon tank with...
- 1 male betta
- 3 corydoras catfish (panda julie albino)
- 2 ghost shrimp

It is filtered and heated, and I was wondering what type of care these loaches require. I heard they get sucked into filters eaisily, so can I just put a tight pantyhoe over the filter so the don't get sucked up?

Also I have an inch of gravel at the bottom of my tank and an inch or two of sand above that. Would that be okay? Or should I replace the gravel with sand, although that would be abit of a pain.

Will they eat my ghost shrimp, the shrimp are about an inch big right now(: What do they eat? I feed my corys algae wafer, but I hear the loaches like bloodworms? I have 2 newts and already have frozen bloodworms in my freezer, I can use those for the loaches if it is nesacary.

[starsplitter7]

Although I have a few Kuhlie's in a 10 gallon, I am not sure if people would agree a 10 gallon is big enough for them. I have ghost shrimp with my Kuhlies. They are fine. They filter through the sand for food. Your cories would really like the blood worms too. They like all types of food, not particularily vegetable matter. I feed my cories and kuhlies flakes, shrimp and carnivore pellets, algae wafers, frozen blood worms, brine shrimp and daphnia and micro pellets. A variety ensures that they get the nutrition they need. I feed my fish an average of 15 types of food. My shrimp help keep the tank clean. And I change 25-50% of my water every 7-10 days. My Kuhlies really like to have multiple caves. If they like their tank water they dance for me. Make sure that you sift through the sand really carefully during water changes to make sure there are no dead pockets. I keep Malaysian Trumpet Snails in my sand tanks to keep the sand turned.

Mine have no problems with the filters, but I have found molly and guppy fry in the filters. I fish them out and put them in my grow out tank.

[Erin8D]

Haha, thanks do you think that three would be okay?

[Holdstrong]

I've got 3 in a 20 long, and I worry that I am pushing it. When they really get moving around it seems a bit cramped for them.

They are a really fun fish to keep (when they are active of course )

[Erin8D]

I've got 3 in a 20 long, and I worry that I am pushing it. When they really get moving around it seems a bit cramped for them.

They are a really fun fish to keep (when they are active of course )

So would that mean the ten is too small? And is there a type of khuli loach that can be kept alone? I really only want one, but I don't want him to be unhappy....

[Holdstrong]

I really don't know if 10 will be too small. I tend to get anxious about the amount of room my fish have to enjoy, and prefer to err on the side of too much tank, instead of too little... but it sounds like others are successfully keeping them in a 10g.

I'm fairly certain though that you will want at least 3 for them to be happy. I don't know of a Khuli species that doesn't prefer the company of others.

[starsplitter7]

I agree Kuhlies never want to be alone. All of mine are in the caves together. They eat together, swim together, play together, . . .

[Donna]

I suspect they don't get sucked unwillingly into the filter -- from what I've seen, they actively seek out tight hiding places to wriggle into.

Yes a piece of pantyhose would work; for mine, I cut a hole in a filter sponge and slid the intake of the HOB into it.

Make sure you put netting or pantyhose or what have you over EVERY opening of the aquarium top! Kuhlis are all direct descendants of Harry Houdini.[/img]