This Indian loach is known for being shy, but it certainly doesn’t have to be. Read more about how you can enjoy these special aquarium inhabitants every day.
Pangio Kuhlii
- Also known by the names: Indian loach, Snakefish
- Family of: Cypriniformes (cyprinids)
- Family of: Cobitidae (loaches)
- Colors: uniform brown / black and brown striped
- Origin: Malaysia, Borneo, Java, Sumatra
- Natural environment: slow flowing curves in rivers, pools and streams with sand or mud bottom
Behaviour
This is a very nice snake-like fish that can be kept in a community aquarium. often the Kuhlii is regarded as shy, but this does not have to be the case. Much depends on the layout, the inmates and the current in the aquarium. They are great cleaners. They turn the bottom of the aquarium, looking for a nice bite to eat, this could be anything; plant residues, algae or food residues. Turning the soil prevents an excess of algae.
The Pangio Kuhlii wants to show itself almost all day long if the light of the aquarium is turned off during the day. You often see them scurrying along driftwood or a stone looking for a tasty snack. In the evening you can safely feed them with the aquarium light on, 1x a day is enough and preferably a little bit of tubifex or granulate for tropical fish. You will soon see the fish looking for food in open places without being disturbed by the aquarium lighting. If you don’t overfeed them, you will see them sooner and they will keep the bottom of the tank more clean.
It is recommended to feed the other fish with flake food before lowering some granulate.
The kuhlii are very social with each other and you will often see them rooting together in one place and turning around each other. If you keep these fish with other conspecifics, they come into their own better. The Pangio Kuhlii can grow to about 12 centimeters. It is wise to keep these fish in a small aquarium (for example 60x30x30) with a maximum of 3. 1 fish can be added per 10 cm aquarium width.
It is important for the habitat of the snake fish that there are driftwood, stones and plants. Indian loaches appreciate it when they have a hole to hide or to relax after their long (eating) trip through the aquarium.
A number of fish that combine well with the Pangio Kuhlii in the same aquarium are:
- Sherry barbel / Barbus Titteya
- Honey gourami / Colisa Chuna also called Colisa Sota
- Diamond Rainbow Salmon / Melanotoenia Praecox
- Glass shrimp / Caridina Japonica
Gender discrimination and culture
Sex distinction is almost impossible to make with these fish. If you want to breed, it is very wise to put a large group of Kuhlii together. That makes the chances of any success the greatest. Breeding with these animals is quite difficult but certainly not impossible. What you can keep in mind if you want to breed with these fish is that the females become mud fat when they carry eggs. If a fish has suddenly lost weight, this probably means that she has hidden her fertilized eggs somewhere. It has happened before that while cleaning the aquarium, a wriggling pile of small snake fish was found.