Stocking Options for 20 Gallon w/ Kuhlis

[Troy328]

Hello, everyone. So, I currently have a lightly planted 20 gallon setup with only a couple of Kuhli loaches in it, but plenty of cave space for them to explore. I plan to add some more Kuhlis to get their numbers back to around 8 or so. However, after that, I'm wondering what to add next?

I would love to add some type of shoaling/schooling fish. I was initially thinking Cherry Barbs, but I'm worried that I couldn't get a good enough group size without overstocking the tank. Would 8 Cherry Barbs and 8 Kuhlis be too much in a 20 gallon?

I was also thinking about some type of Danio, either Longfin Zebras or some Celestial Pearl/Emerald Dwarf Danios if I feel like dropping some extra cash. However, I know that Danios usually like cooler water than what the Kuhlis prefer (I have mine at 78 F) but I'm not to sure how much that would matter to them. I also think Zebra Danios would probably run into the same problem as the Cherry Barbs, where a bigger group would probably be pushing it. If I went with a smaller Danio species I could fit more of them in there and have a larger school, but from what I have heard they aren't as hardy as zebra danios are, and I'm a bit nervous to try something with an intermediate care level, the Kuhlis were about as adventurous as I am willing to go. 😅

I would love to hear some input on if any of these options could work and how many I should keep of each in order to have everyone be happy! I am also open to other suggestions! I know lots of fish can go with Kuhlis, but I am particularly looking for something hardy that will group together. Thanks! 😄

[Scapexghost]

Both can be done. 78 is on the higher end for zebra danios but they do fine for years at that temp. 8 danios or cherry barbs would be fine. Really you could do 24 no problem. With schooling fish, if you can fit one, you can fit 20. Of course you'll have to do more water changes but schooling fish won't fight for territory or take up additional swim space. Cory often talks about a 75 gallon w/ 700 cardinal tetras. Schooling fish will feel more comfortable the more of their own kind present so as long as you can keep water parameters in line, the more the better. As bottom dwellers, Kuhli loaches won't interfere too much w/ the barbs or danios swim space so I wouldn't worry about that either. 

[BlueLineAquaticsSC]

Is it a 20 long or high? I would do a school l of cherry barbs in either but danios are fast swimmers and would do better in a long (although the zebra and giant danios are admittedly me least favorite fish in the hobby and I wouldn’t choose them over anything, which is a shame because they are a great fish) another option that I would go with are white clouds, which are super under rated. You could also add a small centerpiece like a honey gourami or betta (depending if it’s personality allows) with a small school.

[Native Keeper]

Personally, I wouldn't put anything else in there, but I don't think your kuhlis will suffer if you put in those cherry barbs.

[Troy328]

Thanks for the advice so far! I'm glad to know Cherry Barbs will probably be safe based on what has been said so far! I really appreciate it.

On 12/31/2021 at 1:32 AM, Scapexghost said:

Really you could do 24 no problem. With schooling fish, if you can fit one, you can fit 20

This seems a little extreme to me, and I'm not to sure I fully agree with this, 😅 but it's good to know that 8 kuhlis and 8 barbs would be ok!

On 12/31/2021 at 7:57 AM, BlueLineAquaticsSC said:

Is it a 20 long or high?

It's a 20 high, I should have mentioned that! 24inchx12inch footprint.

On 12/31/2021 at 7:57 AM, BlueLineAquaticsSC said:

(although the zebra and giant danios are admittedly me least favorite fish in the hobby and I wouldn’t choose them over anything, which is a shame because they are a great fish) another option that I would go with are white clouds, which are super under rated

I'm curious as to why you don't like Zebra Danios, does it just come down to personal taste, or something else? And as for White Clouds, I have always wanted to try them, so that's a great idea! But don't they like even colder water than Danios, or am I misremembering? Would they be comfortable in the same water as the Kuhlis?

[KaitieG]

I think cherry barbs are a great idea and very pretty.  I think 8-12 would be a totally reasonable number for a 20H.  Kuhlis have an extremely low bioload.  I'd maybe even consider something like the barbs AND a small group (4-6 ish) of a small corydora species because they are just SO MUCH fun to watch, whereas the kuhlis hide most of the time.  Super fun and interesting to watch when they come out, but they just don't come out much.  Pygmies, pandas, hastatus, and habrosus (my favorites) corys all have quite small bioloads with more interactive personalities.

I had gold white clouds as my first fish, and they were pretty awesome and looked nice in my 20H.  Very attractive little guys.  They do prefer cooler water, but they are also pretty adaptable and very hardy.  The LFS I bought mine from kept everything at 80, but they do usually live longer at lower temperatures.  I kept mine around 76 (still "too high" but they were with tropical fish) and they lived about 3 years. 

So, did the temperature shorten their lifespans?  Maybe, but they all started to die over the course of a couple weeks (except one who went on and lived an additional lonely year), and I THINK now that they had parasites as one appeared sort of wasted and then they started to drop quickly.  If I had been more prepared with meds, I think they would have likely recovered, but they were my first fish to get sick, and I wasn't as quick to act on it as I should have been.

Overall, what I've heard from a lot of people is that they're pretty hardy and active cold or warm, but they live longer cold because their metabolism is slower.  You would have to decide if that's okay with you or not.

 

[Troy328]

On 12/31/2021 at 1:31 PM, KaitieG said:

I think cherry barbs are a great idea and very pretty.  I think 8-12 would be a totally reasonable number for a 20H.  Kuhlis have an extremely low bioload.  I'd maybe even consider something like the barbs AND a small group (4-6 ish) of a small corydora species because they are just SO MUCH fun to watch, whereas the kuhlis hide most of the time.  Super fun and interesting to watch when they come out, but they just don't come out much.  Pygmies, pandas, hastatus, and habrosus (my favorites) corys all have quite small bioloads with more interactive personalities.

I had gold white clouds as my first fish, and they were pretty awesome and looked nice in my 20H.  Very attractive little guys.  They do prefer cooler water, but they are also pretty adaptable and very hardy.  The LFS I bought mine from kept everything at 80, but they do usually live longer at lower temperatures.  I kept mine around 76 (still "too high" but they were with tropical fish) and they lived about 3 years. 

So, did the temperature shorten their lifespans?  Maybe, but they all started to die over the course of a couple weeks (except one who went on and lived an additional lonely year), and I THINK now that they had parasites as one appeared sort of wasted and then they started to drop quickly.  If I had been more prepared with meds, I think they would have likely recovered, but they were my first fish to get sick, and I wasn't as quick to act on it as I should have been.

Overall, what I've heard from a lot of people is that they're pretty hardy and active cold or warm, but they live longer cold because their metabolism is slower.  You would have to decide if that's okay with you or not.

 

I love me some corys ! I used to keep pepper corys and my personal favorite, julii corys. I would be a little worried about them stealing all of the sinking food from the kuhlis, but maybe after I add some cherry barbs I could look into some smaller corys as well!

That's also good stuff to know about white cloud minnows. I love the way they look, but I think I would wait until I have a colder tank set up. It's good to know they can handle warmer temperatures, but I think I'd rather keep them in something they are a bit more accustomed to. Maybe I could convert my 10 gallon quarantine tank into a nano setup with some white clouds in the future.

Anyways, thanks for all the advice!

[KaitieG]

On 12/31/2021 at 1:26 PM, Troy328 said:

I love me some corys ! I used to keep pepper corys and my personal favorite, julii corys. I would be a little worried about them stealing all of the sinking food from the kuhlis, but maybe after I add some cherry barbs I could look into some smaller corys as well!

That's also good stuff to know about white cloud minnows. I love the way they look, but I think I would wait until I have a colder tank set up. It's good to know they can handle warmer temperatures, but I think I'd rather keep them in something they are a bit more accustomed to. Maybe I could convert my 10 gallon quarantine tank into a nano setup with some white clouds in the future.

Anyways, thanks for all the advice!

I did keep panda and habrosus corys with kuhlis, and they all did fine together, but I fed Repashy at night before bed.  That's when the Kuhlis seemed to like to come out most. That said, when I see the Kuhlis eating, they're almost always digging around in the substrate finding leftover krill flakes.  Go figure.  

[Levi_Aquatics]

I just set up a 20 with 6 black kuhlis and mutt guppies. I also keep some cull shrimp in the aquarium and I am really enjoying it. Just a suggestion. 

[BlueLineAquaticsSC]

On 12/31/2021 at 11:02 AM, Troy328 said:I'm curious as to why you don't like Zebra Danios, does it just come down to personal taste, or something else? And as for White Clouds, I have always wanted to try them, so that's a great idea! But don't they like even colder water than Danios, or am I misremembering? Would they be comfortable in the same water as the Kuhlis?

I kept my White Clouds at 78F and they didn’t show any problems with it, they are a cold water fish but are very adaptive and the LFS I got them from keeps them at 80. I just do t like the Zebra danios for their appearance (giant danios too for the same reason). I like all other danios but for some reason I’ve always been turned off by zebras, I weirdly associate them with a cheap of brand hot wheel toy.