crazy cool kuhli loaches. What are they thinking?

[KittenFishMom]

I got 13 black kuhli loaches at a big box store because I did not want to leave one all alone. I was hoping they would help with the over stocking by getting more junk to the filters. 

In the 3 tanks with the guppies, I never see the kuhlis, unless they are darting around in the dark. I think the guppies pick on them, which seems weird, but the guppies are overstocked, so who knows.

In my fourth tank with 2 big cory's 3 yoyo loaches, a male betta and 4 kuhli loaches, the kuhlis are out and playing all over the tank all the time. They may be chasing the daphnia, but I thought kuhlis where scavengers, not hunters. They are swimming top to bottom and side to side and swimming circles around each other. I thought I would be really luck to see much of them, but they are swimming all the time. They didn't start doing this until the guppies were gone.

I can't wait to see what the other kuhli loaches do in the other tanks as the guppies leave.  I am so hoping I can take the ones in the large female tank to the fish store this week.  They won't stop begging for food. I think they may be the only tank to have eaten all the daphnia from last night.

 

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 10/16/2022 at 1:27 AM, KittenFishMom said:

I got 13 black kuhli loaches at a big box store because I did not want to leave one all alone. I was hoping they would help with the over stocking by getting more junk to the filters. 

In the 3 tanks with the guppies, I never see the kuhlis, unless they are darting around in the dark. I think the guppies pick on them, which seems weird, but the guppies are overstocked, so who knows.

In my fourth tank with 2 big cory's 3 yoyo loaches, a male betta and 4 kuhli loaches, the kuhlis are out and playing all over the tank all the time. They may be chasing the daphnia, but I thought kuhlis where scavengers, not hunters. They are swimming top to bottom and side to side and swimming circles around each other. I thought I would be really luck to see much of them, but they are swimming all the time. They didn't start doing this until the guppies were gone.

I can't wait to see what the other kuhli loaches do in the other tanks as the guppies leave.  I am so hoping I can take the ones in the large female tank to the fish store this week.  They won't stop begging for food. I think they may be the only tank to have eaten all the daphnia from last night.

 

Keep us posted on how they do! I have a bit of a thing for Kuhlis

[TOtrees]

Behavior-wise, if kuhlis are racing around above the substrate it’s not likely to be hunting. They absolutely are predators, and fill a very similar niche to cories (think of the morphological similarities in mouth size/location and barbel placement; and general behavior, ie bottom-dwelling). But like all (most) predators they will scavenge also. Think of all the frozen foods we feed: we think we’re feeding it to predators, but it’s dead things so that’s scavenging. Flake and pellet food is further along the same thought experiment. 

My limited experience with kuhlis is that when they are tearing around the joint, it’s a behavior related to seimming upstream. Something in the tank is telling them, “it’s time to move move move”. Like a water change with colder/softer water simulating rain, and being a signal to head upstream and start breeding. Same with flooding the tank with live food, ie the rain has dislodged all this food from the stream upriver, and so now is the time to start breeding. 

So in the one tank, they’re picking up these signals, and in the others not so much, or they’re being suppressed. It could be the guppies, but I don’t know.

Enjoy watching them though. 😉

[KittenFishMom]

@TOtrees I think you are right.

Friday I lowered the water to the width of my largest net and took out the sponge filter, HOB, the floating driftwood, the betta log, ceramic log and java moss. I had move the heater to vertical rather than horizontal the night before. I was able to catch the cory on the first try. While I had everything out, I vacuumed the substrate well under where  the objects I removed had been. this took the water even lower. I then move the heater back down near the bottom across the back and filled with bottled spring water at room temperature. It is a big heater, so the water came back to temp rather quickly 

Saturday I added the daphnia and noticed the kuhli loaches were swimming all over and and all 4 were resting between the floating driftwood and the glass instead over under the items on the bottom. Even the tiny yoyo loach went from resting on the bottom to resting on the driftwood.

Now it is Sunday morning and the tank looks cloudy. I didn't change or clear any filters, but it looks like I got a bacteria bloom going anyway. I do have a big air stone as well as a large sponge filter and an HOB. I have also started a turnup on the HOB and the roots reach down into the tank not, but it hasn't leafed out yet.

I will go test the water and see what is going on.

[TOtrees]

Sounds like a heavy but not dangerous  amount of maintenance type work. I do all the things you’re describing when I collect fish or shrimps to take in to the store for sale. Cloudy water or bacterial bloom doesn’t mean your cycle has crashed or blipped. Yes keep an eye on things, treat with prime or other dechlor+ if you want a little “insurance”, ease up on feeding, all those things. 

[B7gwap]

Not sure why, but my black kuhlis always seem a little shy compared to their banded bretheren. 

[KittenFishMom]

The daphnia in that tank are very active. I will add some complete and turbo start 700  and IAL.  I put an extra light pointing at the side of the tank. I will be testing the water in all 4 tanks shortly.

I must say it is a lot of fun watch the kuhli loaches swimming all over the place. 

Once I get the 55 gallon tank up and cycled, I want to get some of the banded kuhli loaches.

[KittenFishMom]

There was a kuhli loach swimming around the big female guppy tank this morning, but I will bet it will hide when the tank lights come on. I saw 2 kuhli loaches on the heater cover in the small female guppy tank.  They were close to the top of the tank. 3 kuhli loaches were swimming in circles against the glass while the yoyo loaches were poking around the hardscape. The male guppy tank is so densely planted I only saw a tail on a kuhli slipping away from the glass.

@TOtrees I put wondershells and more daphnia in each take last night. I think it is interesting that the kuhli loaches are resting so near the top, in the heater guard and between the floating driftwood and the glass. Even the tiny yoyo loach is doing it. I wonder if the water conditions they are sensing indicate bottom feeding predators are coming. When we get a strong north or north west wind here, it stirs up the bottom and the bullheads come in to feed. You can catch the bullheads as fast as you bait your hook.

[TOtrees]

I don’t think they’re up top trying to hide from hypothetical predators, but rather following an instinct to move, possibly upstream. Is your heater anywhere near flowing/moving water, eg a filter outflow?  

[KittenFishMom]

@TOtrees The tank has a large sponge filter, a HOB and an internal filter and an air stone, so the water is moving a good bit. The water isn't moving fast, but it is moving all around the tank. The heater has a guard covering it and the kuhli loaches are hanging out in the guard. They used to hang out in a cave I made by leaning an easy planter  leaning against a hollow ceramic log. But now they seem to be hiding in the heater cover. I think the guppies were pestering the kuhli loaches in the cave, but I can not be sure. I added more IALs to give the loaches more options to hide. 

Since I have added a lot of daphnia to all the tanks, I am using very little fish food in hopes that the bioload will drop some.  I got the kuhli loaches in hopes that they would stir up the water at the bottom of the tank to move solids to the mechanical filters.

My LFS said he probably would not order fish again this week. He use to order fish every week. This is the 3rd week he has not ordered fish. He hasn't taken any of my guppies in more than a week.  I have a feeling the new chain pet store across the street is putting him out of business. Want any guppies ?