Kuhli loaches in back compartment of fluval flex

Hi y'all! Just added 3 kuhli loaches to my planted 15g fluval flex. Within the first hour of being in there they have figured out the LOVE the back intake compartment. I've tried a sponge in both intake covers, and mesh, and a sponge AND mesh and somehow the sneaky noodles just keep coming back in.

The filter draw isn't super high in the tank so I assume if I took off the sponge and the netting, they *could* just swim back out into the tank?? But is that a bad idea? Should I look for a better solution? I've already had to fish at least one of them out 4 times already and it clearly stresses them out every time. The tank is basically designed for kuhli loaches so it's very frustrating to have them insist on being in the back of the tank

 

Khuli will go where kuhli will go. There isn't much you can do to stop them. i had one that swam into my canister filter not once not twice but three times. Eventually he go too large to go again but he tried. You have two choices - completely block off all entrances into the filter (you said you tried this but it didn't work) or don't block it and let them come and go as it pleases them.
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Now for me to address the problem with my current crop of kuhli. They like to dig to china. Solution put rock in corner so they can't swim all the way to china. Kuhli solution go to anew corner and start digging again !

 

Sounds about right! I imagine at some point they'll be too large and chubby to get through the grates but wow! What adorable sneaky jerks they are! They're like sour patch kid commercials, every time they get into the back of the tank or uproot a new plant, they follow it up by being the cutest lil guys I've ever seen. Very different personalities than other chill community tank fish I've kept in the past

 

Since they are so new they could just be getting used to their home, give them some time to explore and if it isn't dangerous for them and they can find a way back out, let them be for a while doing what they do.

 

btw if you have room kuhli like more kuhli - i'd get 9 more.

 

btw if you have room kuhli like more kuhli - i'd get 9 more.

I wish! I'm thinking about setting up a tank exclusively for kuhli-- I really fell for them! This is only a 15g, so for now it'll just be these 3, and eventually 2 pea puffers. But a 20-30g kuhli paradise tank looks on the horizon...

 

btw if you have room kuhli like more kuhli - i'd get 9 more.

I was going to say, I had 3 but they hid, I added 5 more and they go berserk almost all day and night.