Should I Add More Kuhlis?

[mislisa]

I have a 55g lightly planted tank (in my sig) that currently holds 8x khuli loaches that i almost never see. Their tank mates are: 4x cardinals, 6x harlequin rasboras, ~9x pepper cory (unsure of exact number), and 2 male longfin rams. will soon be restocking with more harlequins and possibly cardinals. I do weekly 20-40% water changes, and haven't had any health issues in months (last issue was a cardinal with dropsy ) I'm thinking that I don't want any more cardinals as they seem to keep getting sick, either with internal parasites, or something else. I'm also thinking of getting either a rubbernose/bristlenose pleco or a handful of ottos.

I'd like to see more of my kuhlis, so should i add more? or do you think i'd be asking for trouble??

any other thoughts/suggestions always welcome!

 

[creeker]

I'm guessing you no longer have that gourami or whatever that is up near the top in the pic of your tank. If that's the case I would add six nice sized Silver Hatchets (not the smaller Martha's) to give the tank some activity at the top. You could add more Kuhli Loaches, and you might see them more (no guarantees.) They can be somewhat "light phobic."

 

[Blubble37]

I'm guessing you no longer have that gourami or whatever that is up near the top in the pic of your tank. If that's the case I would add six nice sized Silver Hatchets (not the smaller Martha's) to give the tank some activity at the top. You could add more Kuhli Loaches, and you might see them more (no guarantees.) They can be somewhat "light phobic."

+1 i have 2 and thay always stay in the dark at the back... except from at night - when they come out to play!

 

[KittyKat]

Yes, I would definitely add more khulis and more harlequins. What are the tank dimensions? I would probably aim at 15 of each and I would find the cardinals a new home with a nice school.

 

[kyleb2003]

I have 10-12 khulis in a 4ft, I did have 3 and never saw them then learned that they're social and like to be in a bigger group, added more (asked for 6 and got some extras thrown in as they wanted to get out of the net so badly) and now I see them all the time. I'm surprised you dont see them with 8 but then looking at your tank there's not a lot of cover, they probably stay close to the back of that piece of wood. In my experience they only come out into the open at night to look for food, but during the day they're always visible just tight in next to the wood/under plants. You could add a few more or you could add some more things for them to hide under that you'd still be able to see them. I see a lot of activity at feeding time as they scavenge for food that the others miss.

 

[Tizer]

Got 10 Kuhlis in my tank, i see them quite a bit, especially at feeding time. They like to hang out in my Anubias plants.

 

[moochy13]

unless you really have a love of BN plecs, why not look for something more interesting ? rubbernose plecs like lower temps than most tropical fish, and need a good flow in the tank. this makes them unsuitable for most tropical tanks. especially, i would suspect, tanks set-up to house rams. plecs come in at all sort of prices, i used to be under the impression for under a tenner you got BN's and commons, then nothing until you spent at least 50 quid. i was wrong, there are lots of nice plecs that can be had for all sorts of money. ive got a couple that cost 30 quid each, one that cost 15, one that cost a tenner.

 

[mislisa]

I'm guessing you no longer have that gourami or whatever that is up near the top in the pic of your tank. If that's the case I would add six nice sized Silver Hatchets (not the smaller Martha's) to give the tank some activity at the top. You could add more Kuhli Loaches, and you might see them more (no guarantees.) They can be somewhat "light phobic."

Sadly, the gourami died quite a while ago. I like the hatchets, so i will definitely keep that in mind!

oddly enough, there have been times when my kuhlis were out and swimming around, but i can go for months without seeing any if i don't peer under the wood.

Yes, I would definitely add more khulis and more harlequins. What are the tank dimensions? I would probably aim at 15 of each and I would find the cardinals a new home with a nice school.

The tank is the usual 4ft 55g tank. I've actually been looking around for someone to take my cardinals, but so far nothing. i live in a pretty small community.

unless you really have a love of BN plecs, why not look for something more interesting ? rubbernose plecs like lower temps than most tropical fish, and need a good flow in the tank. this makes them unsuitable for most tropical tanks. especially, i would suspect, tanks set-up to house rams. plecs come in at all sort of prices, i used to be under the impression for under a tenner you got BN's and commons, then nothing until you spent at least 50 quid. i was wrong, there are lots of nice plecs that can be had for all sorts of money. ive got a couple that cost 30 quid each, one that cost 15, one that cost a tenner.

I've found it difficult to find a pleco that will stay max 5", other than the bristlenose. I've also thought along the lines of a school of ottos, but I haven't decided yet.


I was just worried that the bottom of my tank might get a bit crowded, what with the corys and rams also hanging out down there. I'll see about adding another 5 kuhlis and see what happens.

 

[Crossfire]

Maybe there aren't enough hiding places for the loaches to feel secure. Ironically, the more hiding places you have the more the kuhlis will be out in the open. I have two kuhli loaches, and they are 99.9% of the time out in the open and sometimes even swimming around freely. My tank is a shmorgusboard (is that how you spell it?) of hiding places, and they feel secure enough to come out in the open because they know they will have plenty of places to hide if scared or spooked.

 

[lawrencezarb]

yes khulis are social creatures and should be kept in groups