The Panda Kuhli loach, sometimes referred to as Pangio Kuhlii, is an oddball species that makes a fascinating complement to your tank.
These aquatic creatures have an eel-like appearance and swim around the aquarium in strange snake-like behavior.
Are you fascinated by these weird fish and plan to add some to your tank? Let’s dive into this article to learn everything about this species!
Panda Kuhli Loach Overview
Below are some interesting facts about Panda Kuhli loach you may want to know:
Origin
Panda Kuhli loach is a variety in the Kuhli loach genus of the family Cobitidae.
This loach type mainly comes from clean rivers and streams with a slow current flow in Thailand.
While these loaches don’t belong to the schooling fish species, they are relatively social and frequently form small groups in natural habitats.
Size
The typical size of Panda Kuhli Loach is relatively tiny! When fully mature, these creatures in nature only grow to a maximum length of 5 inches.
However, in captivity, they typically remain around 3 – 4 inches. For this reason, they don’t require a lot of space in your tank.
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Appearance
As its name suggests, this loach variety looks like a panda with two primary colors on the body: black and white.
These loaches have slender and thin bodies with hard-to-see small fins, which is the most distinctive characteristic of this variety.
You may mistake these aquatic creatures for eels if you don’t know much about them.
These loaches don’t have a lateral line. Although they feature a visual dorsal fin, it lies farther back than other fish species.
Instead of lying in the center of their bodies, this line is on the lower third and close to their tails.
Another trait that distinguishes these loaches from other species is the four barbel pairs around their mouth to help them search around to get food.
Behaviors
Despite their striking appearance, Panda Kuhli loaches don’t want attention. They favor avoiding attention.
This behavior is apparent when they aren’t around their species. They may exhibit some shyness and withdrawal when left alone.
It’s hard to see them during the daytime, even when other mates swim around them. They prefer to look for hiding places.
As dusk falls, these creatures are more active. They will start scavenging to search for food at the bottom of the environment.
In nature, these loaches burrow in sifting and riverbeds for food. This behavior also happens in captivity.
In general, Panda Kuhli loaches are mellow and peaceful. They can get along with other species if left alone.
Lifespan
The average longevity of these loaches is ten years. If you provide them with proper care and maintenance, their lifespan can be longer than this range, around 14 years.
Panda Kuhli Loach Care Guides
Let’s look through the following guides before you add some Panda Kuhli loaches to your tank!
Tank Conditions
- Tank size
If you intend to keep these loaches, a tank must have the least capacity of 30 gallons. For fish with a maximum length of 4 inches, thirty may seem excessive.
However, this tank size is ideal since these creatures love living in groups of five. These loaches will feel comfortable and happy to swim around that tank.
- Water parameters
Water temperature: 73–86°F
pH level: 5.5–6.5 pH
Water hardness: 0–5 dGH
- Aquarium Equipment
It’s essential to add substrate for these fish because they have a habit of burrowing for food.
It would be best to choose a fine gravel-sand mixture, so your loaches won’t get scratched.
These creatures favor a tank with plenty of plants. Java fern and Cryptocoryne are two sturdy, deeply-rooted plants you may add to the tank.
Besides, you can create places for these fish to hide, such as rocks, manufactured caves, driftwood, or live plants.
Read more: Fish tank filter making rattling noise
Tankmates
These loaches are relatively shy but friendly, so you can house them with peaceful species of the same size.
It’s better to add creatures often swimming on the tank surface or in the middle section of the aquarium.
Here are some of the ideal tankmates for Panda Kuhli loaches you can consider:
- Other Kuhli loaches
- Corydoras
- Mollies
- Danios
- Rasboras
- Tetras
- Honey gouramis
- Guppies
- African dwarf frogs
- Red cherry shrimp
Diets
These creatures are omnivores, meaning they can eat plants and meat. However, they mainly consume diets with protein sources such as small crustaceans, larvae, or dead fish.
These loaches are scavengers. They may eat the leftover food in the tank bottom. That said, you should offer them a dedicated diet.
You can feed these creatures frozen or live blackworms, bloodworms, sinking pellets, or fish flakes.
It’s advisable to feed your loaches twice a day when your aquarium is dark or other species are sleeping.
Breeding
It’s challenging to breed Panda Kuhli loaches because these creatures require precise tank conditions.
For this reason, if you are not an expert fishkeeper, don’t try to breed this species due to the high likelihood of failure.
FAQs
What Is Normal Kuhli Loach Behavior?
These aquatic creatures are non-aggressive and peaceful. They love swimming around the tank bottom and burrowing the substrate for food.
How Do You Make Kuhli Loaches More Active?
You can add more hiding places, live plants, and ideal tank mates to the tank. This way, these fish will feel more comfortable swimming around.
You can see more clearly the behaviors of these fish in the feeding time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv8IBwJuRec
Do Kuhli Loaches Get Lonely?
While these creatures aren’t schooling fish, they are relatively social. Thus, they are comfortable living with other species.
If left alone, they may be afraid to swim around the tank. They tend to stay in hiding spots. You can keep them in small groups of three.
Do Kuhli Loaches Need A Cave?
The short answer is yes! These fish are mellow but curious. Therefore, you should add hiding spots like caves to the tank to hide while exploring.
How Long Until A Kuhli Loach Is Fully Grown?
These creatures can be fully grown in two years.
Final Thoughts
You may be afraid of keeping Panda Kuhli loach if you don’t know about them. In fact, these fish are not as hard to care for as you thought!
These creatures can get on well with other species in a community tank while also doing well when living with their family members.
Hopefully, these guides will be helpful for you. Thanks for reading, and see you in the next post
