Kuhli Loaches Suddenly Shy?

[tropicdragon]

So I have had four KuhlI Loaches for about two months and a half now in a 10 gallon tank. And somewhere along the second month mark, they all of a sudden became really shy. They will hide under the driftwood I have in the tank all day and come out only late at night. This is a big change since before they would all come out at around 5pm and start digging the sand substrate, swim around and were overall really active.

As far as tank mates go, they have lived with two african dwarf frogs and a betta for quite a while with no issues. The only relatively new tank mates are two ghost shrimp and I am not sure if these would freak them out in anyway?

I'm just wondering, if I should be concerned at all. I know this tends to be normal kuhlI behavior, but it's kinda sad since I was so used to seeing them so often and now I rarely see them at all.

 

[Kiks]

Alright, so there are several issues here.
First of all, kuhlI loaches should be kept in groups of six or more. Four aren't enough for them to feel completely comfortable. Adding two or more to the group might help, but your tank isn't large enough to house kuhlI loaches. Usually a tank around 15 gallons or so is considered appropriate.
Your african dwarf frogs while small will try to eat anything they can get in their mouths. They might not be able to eat your shrimp or loaches, but they could harm them. They also do best in a species only tank - one of the reasons being that they're hard to feed, if there are other fish around.
The betta could also harm your other fish and imo there's a lot going on in your tank with different species in a not so large tank.

 

[Gypsy13]

Alright, so there are several issues here.
First of all, kuhlI loaches should be kept in groups of six or more. Four aren't enough for them to feel completely comfortable. Adding two or more to the group might help, but your tank isn't large enough to house kuhlI loaches. Usually a tank around 15 gallons or so is considered appropriate.
Your african dwarf frogs while small will try to eat anything they can get in their mouths. They might not be able to eat your shrimp or loaches, but they could harm them. They also do best in a species only tank - one of the reasons being that they're hard to feed, if there are other fish around.
The betta could also harm your other fish and imo there's a lot going on in your tank with different species in a not so large tank.

True. I foolishly put two baby ADFs in with a betta once. They attacked those beautiful flowing fins with a vengeance! By the time I caught both of the frogs, my poor Mikey was in tatters. He healed but I sure learned my lesson!

 

[wodesorel]

There is a chance that as your betta and frogs settled in and got comfy, they started harassing the kuhlis when you weren't around to see. Any kind of predatory fish or animal can keep them hiding for safety. They are small and wormlike and they seem to realize they make an easy dinner! I would rarely see mine when I had betta or gourami in with them over the years.

 

[tropicdragon]

There is a chance that as your betta and frogs settled in and got comfy, they started harassing the kuhlis when you weren't around to see. Any kind of predatory fish or animal can keep them hiding for safety. They are small and wormlike and they seem to realize they make an easy dinner! I would rarely see mine when I had betta or gourami in with them over the years.

This is a possibility I have been considering. I have never really seen the betta acknowledge the Kuhlis when I was around for the first two months so I am not sure if he is the culprit. But I find him a little more likely, than the frogs because even though the frogs are likely to accidentally nip during feeding time, I still see the loaches get close to the frogs often without really any fear. They’ve also lived with the loaches for a little longer than the betta. The betta also has the tendency to hover over things to inspect them, not even flaring, he just likes to inspect things and I wonder if this might have made them uncomfortable as well?

Come to think of it, I actually even see them come out in the day as long as there is no one in the room but once they sense someone walk in they freak out and hide under the driftwood. Not sure if that piece of information helps at all.

As far as the situation with my ADFs and betta, I agree that I wouldn’t really recommend them as tank mates seeing as its a case by case basis on whether it will go right or not. However, they seem to get along pretty well in my case and none of the fish or animals in my tank have had any wounds or fin tears. My frogs are practically handfed so they don't have trouble getting food. Definitely, looking to upgrade to a 20 gallon, though. May take a bit before I am able to do so, however.

 

[wodesorel]

Kuhlis are wild caught and they are scavengers, so they don't have that built-in ability to equate food with people like domesticated and predatory fish do. It takes them a long time to put cause and effect together! After a few years mine have learned to equate the aquarium stand door opening to their dinner bell and the kuhlI ball feeding frenzy starts before the pellets are in the tank. Older fish will teach newer fish the ropes, which is nice, they settle in faster. Mine are generally calm when I am around, and they don't even flinch when my cats jump on the tank now, but it took a while!

 

[tropicdragon]

Kuhlis are wild caught and they are scavengers, so they don't have that built-in ability to equate food with people like domesticated and predatory fish do. It takes them a long time to put cause and effect together! After a few years mine have learned to equate the aquarium stand door opening to their dinner bell and the kuhlI ball feeding frenzy starts before the pellets are in the tank. Older fish will teach newer fish the ropes, which is nice, they settle in faster. Mine are generally calm when I am around, and they don't even flinch when my cats jump on the tank now, but it took a while!

I see! Well that is good to hear. Pretty new to owning these little guys so it’s reallt helpful to hear from someone who has experience owning them. Thanks!