Is this Pangio Alternans?

[killforfood]

We were shopping for a couple Albino Ancistrus for my daughters 25 gal. community tank when I spied what I believe to be Pangio Alternans. Darrel the fish buyer said it was just an oddball that came in with a regular shipment of Kuhli’s. The pattern is similar to the ones that Emma got in but not as colorful. I bought the Kuhli with hopes of finding more of his kind to keep him company. Also there was what appeared to be a Vailantella Maassi swimming in the mass! I’m going back this afternoon too hopefully get some useable pictures.

[Emma Turner]

Yes, I'd say that was a Pangio alternans. Great find, kff!

A few years back I had some 'contaminant' V. maassi in with a batch of Pangios. Was very pleased to find those in the mix.

Emma

[killforfood]

Yes, I'd say that was a Pangio alternans. Great find, kff!

Well, I'm thrilled about that!

A few years back I had some 'contaminant' V. maassi in with a batch of Pangios. Was very pleased to find those in the mix.
Emma

I went back yesterday to try and get some photos of what I thought were V. Maassi but it turns out that they were P. Anguillaris.
http://www.loaches.com/species-index/pangio-anguillaris
He was selling them under a common name of Golden Kuhli Loaches.
I wasn't able to get photos as the lighting in the fish room was just to dim for my auto focus to work properly.
Can Kuhli's of different species be used to satify their need to be kept in groups? Specifically would thesae help my lone P Alternans feel more at home?

[Emma Turner]

Chances are the Pangio alternans are going to be quite hard to come by, so yes, I would say housing this specimen with other similar kuhli loaches will be much better than it being on its own. However, I'd recommend that you try and obtain some of the 'kuhlii complex' group of loaches, in preference to the more slender members of the 'anguillaris complex'. Of course, if the tank is large enough, you can keep both types together, but if you were only able to house one group, then go for the 'kuhlii complex' fish, P. kuhlii, P. semicincta etc, which are fairly similar in description to the P. alternans, with the same sort of build and patterns of dark bars.

Hope this helps,

Emma

[Mark in Vancouver]

Hey KFF. You have to try and get some clear photos for the species index. Fantastic find - I'm green with envy.

[killforfood]

Hey KFF. You have to try and get some clear photos for the species index. Fantastic find - I'm green with envy.

mark,
I hate to do this to you but I think you're turning greener.
I called and drove all over town this week looking for more P. Alternans to keep my first one company and finally found six more at a shop I haven't been to in over ten years. They buy their fish from the same distributer that the first P.Alternans came from and had a fresh shipment to search through. It probably took the poor lady helping me a good twenty minutes to dig through the masses and finally catch all six. It didn't help much that her co-worker was cracking jokes making fun of her delimma, like hey, we close at nine ya know.


I took a couple pictures while they were still in the bag because I wasn't sure if I would get a chance to see them once released.






Fortunately a couple cooperated long enough for me to get some in tank pictures.


I also had her catch a couple others that I'm not sure on the species but I just couldn't leave them in the store. Their colors and patterns were just to cool.




And to think just a month or two ago in my mind a Kuhli Loach was a Kuhli Loach was a Kuhli loach.

Thank you LOL university for opening my eyes.

[Mark in Vancouver]

Fantastic! You'll have to wait and see if those last ones grow to the size of P. myersi - which they might be. But if they're from the same batch as the alternans, they might be something different.

[Whitey_MacLeod]

Fantastic photos. I love that last fish