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 Tropical Fish Index - Kuhli Loaches |
Kuhli (Coolie) Loaches - Acanthophthalmus kuhlii
Origin: India and Bangladesh
Maximum Size: Usually around 3".
Care: They are gregarious and feel much more comfortable in the company of their own kind. Generally more than 6 in a group. A relatively shy and calm fish, it will quite happily lounge along the bottom of the tank resting, and so it needs hiding places, flowerpots or underneath driftwood where it can hide away are ideal. Over all its a very easy fish to keep.
Feeding: Scavengers, will take most aquarium foods and any other scraps they find in a tank.
Breeding: They have green eggs and kuhlis have been bred in captivity, they will lay their eggs on floating water plants, water sprite is a good breeding plant for them. The true khulis have around 14-20 bands along their body and the real kuhli loach, Acanthophthalmus kuhlii , is a 3.5 inch fish from Indonesia, Sumatra, Java, Malaya and Thailand.
Sexing: Hard to tell. Males have a more muscular upper body appearance, and usually have larger pectoral fins with more black markings on them. Females are wider bodied in the belly
Comments: There are many natural variants of the kuhli these include,
Acanthophthalmus robiginosus is the rarely seen dwarf version.
Acanthophthalmus semicinctus is the half banded version from western Java.
Acanthophthalmus shelfordii from Borneo, Sarawak and the Malay Peninsula.
Pangio javanicus The Black Kuhli is another rare loach which is related to the Khuli.
Get more advice on Khuli Loaches: Tropical Fish Message Board
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