Kuhli loach suddenly dead

[Just a Pygmy Corydora]

Kuhli loach was suddenly dead, upside down in the tank. I do not know the cause of death. I have a 5.5 gallon with now 1 Kuhli loach and 5 Pygmy corydoras, 1 nerite snail. PH was normal, 7.2, ammonia was 0.1 ppm. Please help me diagnose what was wrong.

Edited May 15, 2022 by Just a Pygmy Corydora

[Colu]

It's difficult to no for sure unexplained death can be caused by a number of things what your nitrates and nitrites and kH also have you resently done a water change and if so did your add a water dechlorinator like prime what the temperature of your tank

[Just a Pygmy Corydora]

On 5/16/2022 at 8:40 AM, Colu said:

It's difficult to no for sure unexplained death can be caused by a number of things what your nitrates and nitrites and kH also have you resently done a water change and if so did your add a water dechlorinator like prime what the temperature of your tank

I did a water change about 1 week ago and I add the “Prime” dechlorinator. The temperature was 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The Pygmy corydoras are looking fine.

[anewbie]

What is the base temp of the tank; sudden temp change will kill kuhli loaches; i had 2 of my 11 die when my heater in the water change bucket failed and the tank went from 78 to 73 during water change. Kuhli also prefer warmer temps in general and a tank with kuhli and pygmy i would try for 77 or 78. With just pymgy i would go a bit closer to 76. 

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There are many species of fishes that will suffer horribly if water temp change suddenly by 5 or 6 degrees so it is best to try to warm the new water to a temp similar to the tank.

[Just a Pygmy Corydora]

The temperature did not change in the aquarium and stayed between 70 and 75 Fahrenheit for as long as I remember. I did acclimate the fish for 30 minutes using the drip method. I bought the Kuhli loaches from aquarium coop on August 21, 2021.

[anewbie]

First 70 and even 75 is really too cool for kuhli loaches to begin with; and staying between 70 and 75 is a range. Not changing is if the tank is 75 the temp doesn't change from 75. 5 degree drop from 75 to 70 would be enough to kill it.

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2nd khuhli should be kept in large groups and the only 'kuhli' like loach i would consider in a 5 is sheffordi (sp) which is much smaller but similar length.

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