Scratches on kuhli loach

HI everyone

We've got 3 kuhlI loaches yesterday for our 13G (long tank). They're in with 3 dwarf puffers (the kind that goes to 1in each, not the slightly bigger kind that goes to 2in each) and 1 leopard pleco (we'll move him to my bigger tank when he grows). Couple of questions:

1/ Pleeeeease tell me we're not overstocked
2/ One kuhlI loach is full of white scratches. Am absolutely convinced he got that from darting through narrow spaces or on the gravel. Is sand absolutely necessary or do you think it didn't happen with the gravel? We would like to avoid sand as it's more difficult to clean, and we'd need to put all the fish in another tank for as long as the water is cloudy from the change of substrate. That could take 2 to 3 days. Any thoughts?

 

Arma sorry I didn't see this earlier I think we discussed most possibilities for the scratches but as I read this over... do you think it could be scars from being caught at some point as they don't have the means to hurt each other?
sand isn't absolutely necessary for kuhlis BUT.. if you wanted to change pool filter sand is the way to go because it doesn't have to be rinsed.
carol

 

Thanks, Carol.

From the way they behave, there's nearly no way they won't get scratches is what I am thinking now. They're forever getting themselves stuck in things and pulling themselves out of it. It's like they're not very good at judging the size of spaces.

I think he wants to steer clear of sand unless we are told we absolutely have to (would completely kill his cycle).

Oh, and do you think we're overstocked? I reckon we are. I don't know how we got there as we were sure we weren't when we calculated. Wishful thinking I guess.

 

As long as you keep up the water changes you'll be ok. Kuhlis don't have a big bio-load at all.
Carol

 

Cool! Thanks, Carol. That's reassuring. We'd calculated that each loach will need to about 1.5G (they'll get to about 2.5in each, but light bioload). We counted 3G per 1in puffer.

Thijs is really good with water changes, so that won't be a problem.

 

Cool, you'll love them too
Carol

 

The loaches are MASSIVELY aggressive to our new zebra otos! They really ram into them, and I don't buy that they just do it inadvertently, as they turn around as soon as they're past the zebra to go and do it again. The zebras don't seem to get stressed by it, so we'll see how it develops. Could be first day troubles that wane away in time.

Here's the pic of the loach with its scratches. It seems to be healing up quite good now actually.

 

Looking good! Looks almost like it got caught in something before you got it. The uhlis are checking the new guys out As long as the Otos aren't stressed I wouldn't worry about it.
Carol

 

Aggressive kuhlis: Yes, it definitely doesn't look worrying (yet). I've stopped panicking at fish behaviour in the first week of being in the tank. + like you said, as long as the otos aren't stressed...

Scratched kuhli: Thijs definitely remembers him being completely intact before we got him. I think he went and caught himself between two things in our tank, and has learnt his lesson (they're healing).