# Kuhli Loach tank mate ideas? Totally stumped!



## MissCris (Mar 7, 2016)

Unless your kuhlis are still really tiny, and therefore look like possible food, I'm pretty sure a betta will totally ignore them.


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## Ravynn (Dec 19, 2017)

MissCris said:


> Unless your kuhlis are still really tiny, and therefore look like possible food, I'm pretty sure a betta will totally ignore them.


I have 3 large kuhlis (p. semicincta) and 3 dwarf kuhlis (p. cuneovirgata). The p. cuneovirgata only get up to 1.57".


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## MissCris (Mar 7, 2016)

It's more about diameter than length. If they don't fit it his mouth, you're probably fine.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

I have my half dozen kuhli loaches in a 36g with tetras, corys, a bnp, and a pair of keyhole cichlids (and a female Betta). It is supposed to be my South American tank but I didn't have another home for the Betta or kuhli loaches when I broke down another tank. No one really pays them any attention. They do spend most of their time hanging out under (and in) a hollow piece of driftwood covered with Anubias. Sometimes the bnp displaces them when she decides she wants to live under their driftwood so they all just move over to hers.


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## Ravynn (Dec 19, 2017)

MissCris said:


> It's more about diameter than length. If they don't fit it his mouth, you're probably fine.


The dwarf kuhlis are definitely very small. Maybe half a cm wide.



Triport said:


> I have my half dozen kuhli loaches in a 36g with tetras, corys, a bnp, and a pair of keyhole cichlids (and a female Betta). It is supposed to be my South American tank but I didn't have another home for the Betta or kuhli loaches when I broke down another tank. No one really pays them any attention. They do spend most of their time hanging out under (and in) a hollow piece of driftwood covered with Anubias. Sometimes the bnp displaces them when she decides she wants to live under their driftwood so they all just move over to hers.


What kind of cories do you have? I guess the bigger species? My kuhlis go all over the tank with just them in there, so i don't want anything that will deter that.


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## joclru (Nov 7, 2015)

I'm not a fan of even the small Hypancistrus in such a small tank. There are several small schooling fish that would work well and not pose any threat (or be threatened by the kuhlis). Celestial pearl danios, dwarf emerald rasboras, and kubotai rasboras come to mind. Chili rasboras would also work if the tank has a reasonably low pH (which the kuhlis would also accept).


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## tamsin (Jan 12, 2011)

I have the big fat kind of kuhli and they have no issues nudging everyone else out the way for food. They go after the otos algae wafers ignore shrimps climbing over their heads etc.

You could look at dwarf corys, if you wanted but again they'd be fairly near the bottom. You might want to go up a bit and consider a nice shoal of nano size fish like joclru suggests. I'd add ember tetras to the list - they colour up beautifully. Although it's not a single centre piece, if you go for small fish you could fit a nice shoal which might give a similar effect.

Pretty much any community fish that will fit your tank size should be suitable.


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

Ravynn said:


> What kind of cories do you have? I guess the bigger species? My kuhlis go all over the tank with just them in there, so i don't want anything that will deter that.


In that tank I have C. CW010 'Laser Gold', C. duplicareus, C. sterbai, and two of the pygmy species C. pygmaeus, and C. hastatus.


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## Ravynn (Dec 19, 2017)

Honestly, i'm pretty bummed about the Betta situation. I'd have to order one online so i wouldn't know the personality of it before i get it. Heck, i wouldn't in a store either, i guess. 

I'm a little iffy on fish like tetras. I'm not too sure if i like them. There was some pygmy corydoras in my lps (not enough) and they were so incredibly tiny!! I'd be so scared to have them. I'd also like to keep something that lives a decent amount of time. 

There's probably uncommon fish i can get my hands on too since i can order online.


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

joclru said:


> I'm not a fan of even the small Hypancistrus in such a small tank. There are several small schooling fish that would work well and not pose any threat (or be threatened by the kuhlis). Celestial pearl danios, dwarf emerald rasboras, and kubotai rasboras come to mind. Chili rasboras would also work if the tank has a reasonably low pH (which the kuhlis would also accept).





Very good suggestions - I would have recommended something along the same general lines.
But really, any moderate group of smaller, non-aggressive fishes would do well with Kuhlis.


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## Ravynn (Dec 19, 2017)

These are just random things I came up with. 

What about a single dwarf cichlid? Scarlet badis, ottocinclus? I don't know. 

I guess it doesn't have to be a centrepiece. My kuhlis are not and I'm quite enjoying them.


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## tamsin (Jan 12, 2011)

I think Ottocinclus are a bit kuhli ish if that helps. They wiz up and down the glass sometimes and have little moments of action and then pause. They are social like kuhli though so you want a little group. Tend to inhabit the bottom half. I think they are pretty cool. They can be a little sensitive when you first get them but once settled are fine.

Scarlet badis would be fine, sparkling gourami - little bit betta ish maybe?)

Catfish like corys tend to be long lived. The dwarf ones are titchy but that just means you can have a bigger group. You could consider C. pygmaeus and C. hastatus Triport mentioned as I think they come up a bit in the water rather than sticking to the substrate. Cories have nice little personalities.

Cherry barbs? The males can out do a betta for colour they are really stunning. Quite fiesty but little mouths and won't bother a kuhli.

I'd have a look at some youtube videos if you are buying online that way you can see how they all behave in a tank


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## Ravynn (Dec 19, 2017)

I still have no idea. I really liked the thought of Ottocinclus but quite a few posts that i've read said that people didn't have them live very long. I'll have to keep searching!


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## tamsin (Jan 12, 2011)

Ravynn said:


> I still have no idea. I really liked the thought of Ottocinclus but quite a few posts that i've read said that people didn't have them live very long. I'll have to keep searching!


The problem is the condition they arrive in, if they make it through the first couple of weeks they live years. So what you want is some nice plump looking Otos that have been sat around in the sellers tank a couple of weeks and you should be ok. I still have my first one from mid 2014, but I'm sure others have even older ones.


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## Ravynn (Dec 19, 2017)

Would peacock gudgeon, asian stone catfish, or banjo catfish work?


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## tamsin (Jan 12, 2011)

Banjo's are cute but will basically pretend to be a stick and/or bury themselves in the substrate so won't add a lot of movement but are fun for playing eye spy for.


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## Ravynn (Dec 19, 2017)

tamsin said:


> Banjo's are cute but will basically pretend to be a stick and/or bury themselves in the substrate so won't add a lot of movement but are fun for playing eye spy for.


That is pretty funny. Would i be able to keep one though? They are adorable. What about corydoras habrosus, platy fish?

Sooo.. out of banjo catifsh, corydoras habrosus (can't find hastatus), and panda platys.. what would be good to go with the x6 kuhlis? I still have lots of time to figure this out since i won't be getting anything until after Christmas.


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## StevieD (Jun 17, 2017)

I have half a dozen Cory's that are at least 9 years old, there are records of some that have lived twice as long as that.

Dwarf Cory's can be *extremely* small (hence the name, dwarf) and prefer to swim in mid water, like all other Cory's they do tend to do better if there is a group of them, given how small Dwarf Cory's are I would suggest at least 6. I have 12 on order for the first week in January  they can reach one and a half inches when fully mature but seem much smaller somehow.

https://www.scotcat.com/callichthyidae/c_habrosus6.htm

In my 150 (not a planted tank) I have 4 Kuhli loaches that are seen about as often as rocking horse droppings, in other words not very often. Often I am left wondering if they have died and then one day out of the blue I will see all four of the little fat rascals at feeding time. They are about 10 years old, the orange band has now faded to a light grey. Given how often I see them I could not swear what it is they eat but it definitely seems to agree with them, the word corpulent springs to mind.

The second picture is a decent representation of what mine look like.

Kuhli loach: size, care, tank mates, feeding and breeding


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## napaeozapus (Feb 22, 2014)

Chain loaches are pretty neat little fish as well, but can be difficult to source.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Ravynn (Dec 19, 2017)

I keep going back to a Betta (probably because i'm stuck on a personable fish). Bio-load wise, it would be understocked which is always nice. I would have to order the Betta online, so i won't know the personality of it. I'm trying to not have too many fish in this tank and all of the ones i'm interested in seem to want a school/shoal to be happy. I guess it wouldn't really matter if i got a female or male Betta, aggression-wise? What about wild bettas? I can order a wild betta, but i know nothing about what kinds can be put in a community tank.

What about the orange lyretail killifish? Anyone know if one would be good?


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## tamsin (Jan 12, 2011)

I've got eight hasbrosus on order too! No where has them in stock here at the moment - one LFS said something about a vulcano causing shipping issues. Small but very cute and active. Probably sticking to the lower half of the tank.

A banjo would be fine with kuhli, but as mentioned not very active - you quite often just see a tail stuck out somewhere.

Platies tend toward mid to harder water so it depends what you have, if it's super soft they might not like it. They will multiple if you have males and females. Bright coloured, active and sticking to the top half mainly.

A fighter would be fine with normal sized kuhli, particularly with a planted tank. I've no experience with the small ones though.

It's really down to personal preference. Ask ten different people and they'll all stock differently.


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## Ravynn (Dec 19, 2017)

tamsin said:


> It's really down to personal preference. Ask ten different people and they'll all stock differently.


Very true. I'm sorry for all the questions, i've never had a community tank before and i don't know anyone with fish tanks to get advice from in my area. I've only ever kept single fish in their own tanks. Hence, why i'm so iffy on having different kinds of fish in multiples. Honestly, i don't think i'd like a school of nano fish, i'm really not into it.

My water is definitely not hard. My ph falls between 6.5-7. My lps is 15 minutes away though, so i'd assume the ph is relatively the same. The panda platies are pretty cute.

The only reason i'm hesitating on the Betta is because i like plakats, which can swim faster so i'm nervous of the Betta going after the Kuhlis and stressing them out.

I'm just looking for a fish that won't die in a year, is hardy, and some what peaceful.


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## tamsin (Jan 12, 2011)

It's ok, I don't mind vicarious fish selecting 

Beta's will go after something the size of cherry shrimp, so I'm just not sure if they'd bother the dwarf kuhli or not.

If you go for all males you don't have to worry about platties multiplying. They are fairly adaptable so as long as your water isn't super soft should be ok - do you know your GH?

Cat fish will be your longest lived options. You could put a couple of banjo or stone catfish in to up the chances of spotting them. 

You have to decide if you want something fairly active and colourful like the platty or that you just spot now and then. If you prefer the empty looking tank you spot an inhabitant in occasionally they'd fit in well.


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## rafini (Oct 25, 2015)

Honey gourami. they are super peaceful and behave much like a Betta (both are anabantoids) also they have bright colors and may even spawn for you in a covered planted aquarium (the fry need access to a layer of humid air that the cover will provide)


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## Ravynn (Dec 19, 2017)

I don't currently have a GH/KH kit. I would like to pick one up in the new year, though. I just figure it's soft water because my ph is low. Pretty positive my lps doesn't separate males/females so that would be kind of risky, lol. Would the platies fight if i attempted to get 2-3 males? I wonder if it would be worth it to just get 1 platy.. don't know what else i'd put in with it though.


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## ac0xr (Aug 13, 2014)

rafini said:


> Honey gourami. they are super peaceful and behave much like a Betta (both are anabantoids) also they have bright colors and may even spawn for you in a covered planted aquarium (the fry need access to a layer of humid air that the cover will provide)


+1, I would suggest Honey Gourami or Dwarf Gourami.

Although I'm a big fan of Platys too!


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## Ravynn (Dec 19, 2017)

This is my ph, i've never been able to pinpoint it.

Kind of back to square one now. All the platies at the store are too young to sex.


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## RWaters (Nov 12, 2003)

How about some Harlequin Rasboras? Color-wise, they'd coordinate with the kuhli's. :smile2:

And I have to say it ... bottom feeders are cool!








https://youtu.be/857Sb3Nkd0Q?t=3


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## Triport (Sep 3, 2017)

It is a small tank so the easy choice is to stick with something from the same area of the world as the loaches. Some sort of micro rasbora maybe. A few cherry barbs should be OK in a 15.


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## tamsin (Jan 12, 2011)

RWaters said:


> And I have to say it ... bottom feeders are cool!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What's the black and yellow chap with the red tail?


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## Brackon (Nov 30, 2017)

Honestly I don't know why you are so concerned about the betas personality as the kuhlis can easy fend him or her off as they are much faster and can hide like no other as they are basically a little noodle and can squeeze into the smallest places. I would say since you really want a centerpiece fish I would just do the beta and I don't see there being any problems even if he is a butt head. 

Other little but nice fish are also a good option as you could so something that is close to the loaches like a Stiphodon goby as long as you have enough algae and then theres the cherry barb mentioned above that get crazy nice colors. Maybe a few male guppies of your favorite strain could work too. I wouldn't do a catfish unless you wanted dwarf cories. Otherwise it is really a personal question as fish live for a long time not like they die for no reason its often due to not feeding correctly as mentioned above about otos they eat algae and they are picky sometimes not eating wafers and will die also are wildcaught so they may be so stressed out by the time they get to you they never recover. I would say my favorite option with this would be a pair or trio of either wild beta or killifish as they are both small and stunners and fry might even make it if the tank is planted enough


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## Bfishy (Nov 23, 2017)

The Betta would be fine. A Ram would probably work nice as well.


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## Ravynn (Dec 19, 2017)

Brackon said:


> Honestly I don't know why you are so concerned about the betas personality as the kuhlis can easy fend him or her off as they are much faster and can hide like no other as they are basically a little noodle and can squeeze into the smallest places. I would say since you really want a centerpiece fish I would just do the beta and I don't see there being any problems even if he is a butt head.
> 
> Other little but nice fish are also a good option as you could so something that is close to the loaches like a Stiphodon goby as long as you have enough algae and then theres the cherry barb mentioned above that get crazy nice colors. Maybe a few male guppies of your favorite strain could work too. I wouldn't do a catfish unless you wanted dwarf cories. Otherwise it is really a personal question as fish live for a long time not like they die for no reason its often due to not feeding correctly as mentioned above about otos they eat algae and they are picky sometimes not eating wafers and will die also are wildcaught so they may be so stressed out by the time they get to you they never recover. I would say my favorite option with this would be a pair or trio of either wild beta or killifish as they are both small and stunners and fry might even make it if the tank is planted enough


I understand where you're coming from. I'm just being super cautious about my stocking and i don't want to get anything on impulse. Like mentioned, i'd have to order the Betta online and can't return if it doesn't work out. Do you have any experience with Killifish? I'm able to get Aphyosemion australe if that would work. My LPS has some that look like Gardneri but not sure, didn't check.



Bfishy said:


> The Betta would be fine. A Ram would probably work nice as well.


German Blue Ram?


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## tamsin (Jan 12, 2011)

Ravynn said:


> Like mentioned, i'd have to order the Betta online and can't return if it doesn't work out.


It sounds like you have a local fish shop just not with much range? You may well find they'd take a fish they hadn't sold in exchange for store credit if you did find it didn't work out - ask them. Mine takes spare fry and sometimes plants and I get a credit note.


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## Ravynn (Dec 19, 2017)

tamsin said:


> It sounds like you have a local fish shop just not with much range? You may well find they'd take a fish they hadn't sold in exchange for store credit if you did find it didn't work out - ask them. Mine takes spare fry and sometimes plants and I get a credit note.


For some reason they don't really take care of the bettas. They take care of the fish in the tanks but not them, so they are never really that healthy. I have no LFS, just a pet shop.


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## MudLark (Dec 4, 2017)

Male Bettas just aren't that fast. I've never kept kuhlis but they look way too fast and way too good at hiding to be threatened by a male Betta. I understand the females are faster, though.


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## Ravynn (Dec 19, 2017)

Jeez, really can't make up my mind.


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## RWaters (Nov 12, 2003)

tamsin said:


> What's the black and yellow chap with the red tail?


That's a Panda Garra.


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## Ravynn (Dec 19, 2017)

Alright, i'm buying a ton of plants tomorrow to fill the tank more and i am warming up to the idea of schooling fish. What schooling fish could i get? I know cherry barbs and chili rasboras were mentioned. How many in a school?


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## tamsin (Jan 12, 2011)

Chilli's are dinky so you could probably have double those compared to cherry barbs. Maybe 7 cherries or 14 chillis.


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## corbinwill8 (Dec 25, 2017)

white cloud mountain minnow, harlequin rasbora, otocinclus catfish, red-tailed black shark, betta are all good tank mates


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## Ravynn (Dec 19, 2017)

If i were to go with the Honey Gourami, would a single one or multiple be better?


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## thedudeabides (Feb 29, 2012)

I have kept A. australes and Kuhli's together just fine. What I found with AA is there are certain types of fish / inverts that trigger aggression / a feeding response. Kuhli's did not do this.


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## Ravynn (Dec 19, 2017)

thedudeabides said:


> I have kept A. australes and Kuhli's together just fine. What I found with AA is there are certain types of fish / inverts that trigger aggression / a feeding response. Kuhli's did not do this.


Interesting. I kind of trashed the idea of the killifish because i was nervous the kuhlis would be too jumpy for them. Did you just have the killis and kuhlis together?


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## thedudeabides (Feb 29, 2012)

Ravynn said:


> Interesting. I kind of trashed the idea of the killifish because i was nervous the kuhlis would be too jumpy for them. Did you just have the killis and kuhlis together?


No I had a whole bunch of other fish (it was a 65 gallon) I have never had any negative experiences with AA in community setups just don't try to keep them with shrimp.


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## JJ09 (Sep 11, 2014)

Chiming in late here... . I've had kuhlis with a betta no problem. I've always kept plakats, too. The betta beat up platies and other fish, but I think kuhli was too fast for him. Currently I have kuhlis in a larger tank with a school of serpae tetra- known for being bullies. Sometimes they nip at the kuhlis when going after food but I've never seen any injuries. Before the serpaes I had a larger group of cherry barbs and that was absolutely fine- very peaceful fish.

If your kuhlis seems really nervous (I saw you used the word 'jumpy'- not sure if you meant they act stressed, or just active in a happy way) give them more cover and hiding spots.


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## Ravynn (Dec 19, 2017)

I meant jumpy as in they go all over the tank even with the lights on. They're not too shy so far. I still don't have any tank mates set in stone yet. I'm setting up a QT sometime in the next week for whatever i do decide to get.


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