Giant kuhli loach

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep at least 5 or 6 together in a tank of 75 litres or more with soft sand, at 22 to 28 C and pH 5.5 to 7.0. It roots through the substrate for worms and insect larvae, so feed sinking foods, frozen bloodworm, tubifex and brine shrimp. Peaceful and community-safe, it suits tanks with gouramis, rasboras, barbs and other calm fish, though very small shrimp fry may be eaten.

In the wild

The heaviest-bodied of the banded kuhli loaches, reaching about 10 cm with broad dark saddles over a pinkish base. It is a nocturnal burrower that needs a soft sand bed and plenty of shaded cover such as wood, leaf litter and plants. Like other kuhlis it is far more confident and active when kept in a group.

Good to know

It is a true loach in the family Cobitidae and was once placed in the genus Acanthophthalmus. It can gulp air at the surface and absorb oxygen through its gut, an adaptation to the low-oxygen, seasonally stagnant waters it inhabits.

Common questions

Related species

• 

  Half-banded kuhli loach

  Pangio semicincta

  3.9 in (10 cm) · 28 gal (105 L)

  3.9 in (10 cm)28 gal (105 L)70–79°F (21–26°C)

• 

  Kuhli loach

  Pangio kuhlii

  3.9 in (10 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)

  3.9 in (10 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)

• 

  Sumatran neon loach

  Pangio bitaimac

  3.7 in (9.5 cm) · 14 gal (54 L)

  3.7 in (9.5 cm)14 gal (54 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)

• 

  Eel kuhli loach

  Pangio anguillaris

  4.7 in (12 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)

  4.7 in (12 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)

• 

  Java loach

  Pangio oblonga

  3.1 in (8 cm) · 25 gal (95 L)

  3.1 in (8 cm)25 gal (95 L)70–79°F (21–26°C)

• 

  Shelford's kuhli loach

  Pangio shelfordii

  3.1 in (8 cm) · 24 gal (90 L)

  3.1 in (8 cm)24 gal (90 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)