General information - There are more than 24 species of Kuhli

loaches but with no doubt the Pangio is the most popular and sought

after Kuhli species all over the world. The Pangio Kuhlii loach has an

interesting appearance; it is an eel-like fish. Many hobbyists keep the

Kuhlii loach just because they look like tiny snakes. It has elongated

body and very small fins. On their body there are bout 20 dark brown

to black vertical stripes and the gaps between them are faint pink to

white. Their mouth has small barbels and faces downward, which

means they found their food from the bottom. It often hides beneath

the plants or buries itself during the day, coming out at night to feed

so don’t get panic if one of your Pangio Kuhlii loach is missing.     

Common Name - Kuhli Loach, Coolie Loach 

Scientific Name - Pangio Kuhlii  

Photo by: John Gosden

Origin - Asian Rivers, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Borneo, Java and Sumatra 

Size - 3-4 inches (7.5 cm -10 cm) 

First discovered - Valenciennes, 1846 

Nutrition – Omnivorous, will accept commercial foods, sinking pellets and catfish wafers. Small frozen

foods and small live foods such as worms should be part of their diet but should not be fed exclusively.  

Behavior – Peaceful 

Maintenance and care – The Pangio Kuhlii loach requires a 20 gallon or more. Best kept in groups,

the larger the better. Due to their shy behavior they spend the most of time hidden so the tank should

be decorated with plenty of hiding places such as roots, woods and plants. The substrate should be fine

gravel or sand, for burrowing. Although Kuhli loaches are undemanding fish and will thrive in a wide range

of water parameters suitable filtration system is essential. Due to their calm behavior they should be

kept only with non aggressive tank mats such as: Corydoras, Tetras, Danios, Rasboras and small

sized catfish.   

Water Parameters – Temperature: 26C - 30 C (78.8F - 86F), PH: 6.5 – 7.5, dGH: 8 - 12 

Breeding – have been breed in home tanks but little is known, the big mystery is what the trigger actually

is. Fry are tiny and should be fed with liquid fry foods and on green water.