Stressed Kuhli Loach?

So I got three KuhlI loaches and put them in my twenty gallon tank with some scarlet endlers some blue crystal shrimp and one neon blue stiphodon goby. A black sand substrate. The loaches have only been in there for almost a week and one of them is very odd. He doesn't usually hide just kind of lays on the bottom almost like he's sleeping. He'll move sometimes I've noticed. He's in different spots but I hardly ever see him move. But now he's been swimming up to the waters surface he'll get to the top then just kind of give up and sink down to the bottom fall on his side and just stay there I'm not sure what's wrong with him. He's body looks fine compared to the other ones. One of the other two, the biggest one will hide in the castle in the tank and the second one will hide under this rock thing on the other side of the tank. I'm pretty sure they're out eating at night. Anyone have a similar experience?

 

I normally would say three is not enough, they like company, but I don't know if you can get more in a twenty gallon or not.
Someone who knows stocking better will know.

 

Might need a bigger one.

 

I'm in a top floor apartment. I'm not sure how big I can go. I think a twenty gallon might be my limit.

 

Unlikely, you could easily go to forty gallon even in an apartment, as long as they don't have rules against tank sizes.

 

I live on the 22nd floor, my apartment's old as heck, the boards are flimsy, and it supported a 40 gallon breeder a long time ago. I think you'll be fine.

As for your 20 gallon, 6 - 8 kuhlI loaches will be fine, as long as you don't have other bottom-dwelling species. Can you check your water parameters for us, just in case? CindiL might be able to help more with this.

 

Alright, twenty is probably about as comfortable as I feel like going. I read through my lease before I bought anything there's nothing about fish and tanks it just says dogs, cats and pets. Not sure what the legal definition of pet in this document though.

 

Do you think you could add maybe three or four more?

 

Assuming I can find that many more. Just worried that might be pushing the stocking a bit to far. Ideally I'm hoping for the shrimp to breed, though I'm rather new to all this. The kuhlis were kind of an impulse buy and I didn't know anything about them at the time.

 

We'll have to get someone here that's smarter than me to narrow this problem down.

 

I'll have to test the water after dinner, I just cleaned and did a water change yesterday. He is laying on his side. He like got up went to swim and head first right into a rock then just kind of laid back down. Found his way around and now has climbed into the rock to hide. Also picture of a shrimp because shrimp.

 

He doesn't look happy does he.

 

He really doesn't. Like this is what I do when I give up on life. Here's a picture of the other two. They don't seem terribly happy but they seem okay. The big one went to run and hide right as I snapped the picture.

 

sounds like lack of numbers to me. I've had them before with just 3 and this sounds similar to how they acted before I added 3 more. I would still test water definitely

 

I'm going back to the shop tomorrow anyways so I'll look and see what they have. The only other thing I can think of is I've been leaving the lights on way to long, like 12 to 14 hours, I'm trying to stimulate some algae growth for everything to eat but I'm not getting anything. I've been dosing out some Aqueon Plant food once a week but nothing. Luckly it seems everything will eat the flakes I feed to the scarlets.

 

I'm going back to the shop tomorrow anyways so I'll look and see what they have. The only other thing I can think of is I've been leaving the lights on way to long, like 12 to 14 hours, I'm trying to stimulate some algae growth for everything to eat but I'm not getting anything. I've been dosing out some Aqueon Plant food once a week but nothing. Luckly it seems everything will eat the flakes I feed to the scarlets.

photo period could definitely be a factor but kuhlI loaches are supposed to be a pretty hyper species. Mine would zip around the tank every 30 minutes or so. Also I've never known any smaller shrimp to be voracious algae eaters so I'd be cautious with that

 

The tank is right next to my desk so I can watch them while I work. One of the other Kuhlis is hanging out on my desk side will go lay in the big plant and will chase any of the scarlets that come over. I could drop them some of the pellet food I feed my Betta fish.

Doing a water test with API master freshwater, 7.2pH, Ammonia looks like it's 0ppm, Nitrite looks like it's 0ppm and nitrate isn't full done but looks like it's going to also end up being 0ppm. That is of course assuming I did the tests right.

 

ok. Just whenever possible give your kuhlis some friends! always buy social species in groups of 6 when possible. They'll really thrive

 

GH & KH seem to be between 50 and 100ppm. I'll definitely look for more tomorrow. Thanks

 

While you're out getting buddies (I have 9 in my 20 high tank with a group of guppies if that helps), get some algae or plant or veggie sinking wafers. They can be labeled different things. I don't think flakes are a good enough meal for loaches. Mine love HikarI sinking wafers and shrimp pellets.

It could be parameters, lack of buddies, or food. I think it's a combination, but laying solitary on its side worries me that it's something more, like illness.

I also think with endlers and one goby you can easily add 4-6 more kuhlis.

 

I have some API algae eater wafers I got mostly for the goby. He wasn't having any of it at the time, of course he was brand new as well. I've considered moving the goby into my 13.5 gallon with my betta and two mystery snails but that goby has been through a lot just to get into the 20 gallon, getting him was an adventure and I think he spent a good week until he was comfortable. I've looked for shrimp pellets but all I've been able to find is freeze dried shrimp. I have some freeze dried blood worms I got for the betta that I could try but they float to well. I've tried to feed them to the betta but they're too big for him.

 

Freeze dried food should be rehydrated before feeding or you could end up with swim bladder issues as the food absorbs fluid while in their stomachs. Freeze-dried don't have much nutrition left either. Can you get Omega One or New Life Spectrum shrimp pellets? Those will be my next brand after I use up my cheaper Aqueon pellets. Although the ingredients aren't the greatest, the fish really like them and they are easy to find. Even walmart has them I think.

I would not move a goby into a betta's tank. Bettas don't play well with others.

I would smack your algae wafers into smaller pieces with a rolling pin or just try to break them with your fingers. The kuhlis won't have to fight over them then. I feed 2 broken wafers and 1 shrimp pellet for all 9 kuhlis. The guppies snack on them as well (they also get flakes) and everyone gets enough to eat.

 

He has been laying in the front corner of the tank on his side for two hours. There are two shrimp standing behind him staring at him, though they could just be sleeping I'm not usually up this late to notice. He is still breathing but the shrimp sitting there makes me nervous. I snapped an algae waffer in half and dropped it in. One shrimp started eating it.

I should also mention I'm not sure how much I trust the shop I got them from. I'm fairly certain I got pond snails from them and everything on the shelves looks like it's been there for twenty years. Everything is dusty and slightly gross. I refuse to put the bags in my tank to float anything. All the racks the tanks are on are really rusty but all the tanks seem pretty clean including their reptile and bird cages. Honestly it kind of felt like the lady wanted to just try and get me to buy things. I'm in a kind of small town and I have no idea how this lady keeps this shop open considering it looks like a lot of her stuff doesn't move. She has like two salt water tanks but they look terrible but the freshwater stuff looks pretty good.



Looks like he died last night. He's in the same spot he was when I went to bed but looks like he's not breathing anymore.

 

The lady at the shop I got them from seems to think it was just stress.