Kuhli Loach Stuck In Filter!

I just bought a new kuhlI loach. Black & yellow. So I put him in the tank, and he seems all happy and healthy. Doing the loachie dance with my other kuhlis. Then one morning I get up and look for my loach. All the others are still out, swimmong around and eating. But for some reason, I can't seem to find the new one. I look evereywhere. No sign of the kuhli. Finally, two days later, I check in the filter, and there he was. Scratched up a bit, but still alive. Somehow he swam against the current of the outtake and stayed in the HOB filer for two and a half days! It has been twelve hours, and he is in my rock cave most of the time, but he seems to be staying upright and active. Its my first time having a kuhlI swim into the filter.

 

I haven't had this happen with mine, but ive heard of it happening. you might put on a guard or sponge like you would for fry or shrimp

 

Try these

I had the same thing happen, got two of these for my filters and it never happened again!

 

Yes Kuhli's are notorious for trying to squeeze in to the tiniest of places! I've had one over the years get stuck in an ornament and I didn't find it until after he was dead.
Make sure anything that's thin, small opening, or otherwise a narrow space ( even if the space looks ridiculously small ) you cover it or remove it. As with the filter, you can use pantyhose over the intake until you can get a prefilter sponge.

 

I just bought a new kuhlI loach. Black & yellow. So I put him in the tank, and he seems all happy and healthy. Doing the loachie dance with my other kuhlis. Then one morning I get up and look for my loach. All the others are still out, swimmong around and eating. But for some reason, I can't seem to find the new one. I look evereywhere. No sign of the kuhli. Finally, two days later, I check in the filter, and there he was. Scratched up a bit, but still alive. Somehow he swam against the current of the outtake and stayed in the HOB filer for two and a half days! It has been twelve hours, and he is in my rock cave most of the time, but he seems to be staying upright and active. Its my first time having a kuhlI swim into the filter.

I couldn't help but notice we are only talking about one kuhlI loach..kuhlis need to be kept in groups of 6-8+..

 

He doesn't specify how many he has, but he mentions others....

 

He doesn't specify how many he has, but he mentions others....

Whoops! Sorry OP, I didn't see that part of the post!

 

Try these

I had the same thing happen, got two of these for my filters and it never happened again!

Sorry, but you might have read my first post wrong because the kuhlI swam up the OUTTAKE, not the intake...

that new kuhlI has an obsession with standing on his tail. I found him sleeping like that once...

 

Sorry, but you might have read my first post wrong because the kuhlI swam up the OUTTAKE, not the intake...

that new kuhlI has an obsession with standing on his tail. I found him sleeping like that once...

I see, that's very unusual. One of mine was nowhere to be found, and I found him in the intake pipe wrapped around the inside. I thought he was dead, so I turned the filter off, and took the pipe off.... when I did that, he fell out, and hit the water and started swimming lol. From what I understand, it's really common for them to get into that tube, so getting those sponges for the intake may not be a bad idea.

 

I think the intake will be fine because I have this filter: