Java loach

Pangio oblonga

Also known as Black Kuhli Loach

FreshwaterFish

Java loach (Pangio oblonga) — Imperial Tropicals · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 70–79°F; 21–26°C
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 3.1 in; 8 cm
Minimum tank: 15 gal; 55 L

Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Shoaling
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Family: Cobitidae
Origin: Sunda Islands, Thailand

Overview

The Java loach is a dark cousin of the banded kuhlis and is kept in much the same way. It is a peaceful bottom fish and among the easier loaches to keep.

Did you know

The Java loach can supplement its oxygen by gulping air at the surface and taking it up through its gut. That helps it cope with the warm, oxygen-poor swamp pools it often lives in.

Caring for the Java loach

A group of Java loaches is comfortable in a tank of 15 gal (55 L) or larger. Give them a soft, fine sand bed for burrowing and plenty of cover. Add a layer of leaves, driftwood and dense planting to cut the light. Gentle flow and tannin-stained water suit them well.

Keep the water soft and acidic to neutral, with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Hold it warm, at 70 to 79°F (21 to 26°C). Clean conditions and a mature, established substrate encourage this shy loach to feed in the open.

The Java loach wriggles through sand and under wood and leaves in search of small foods. Feed sinking pellets, frozen bloodworms and small frozen foods, ideally after dark when it is most active. A quick dash to the top for air is normal behavior, not a sign of trouble.

Java loaches are peaceful and do best in a group of six or more. A group brings them out to forage together rather than staying tucked away. They are safe with other community fish. Breeding is essentially unrecorded in aquaria.

Good to know

The Java loach, Pangio oblonga, is a member of Cobitidae, the true loaches, and is sometimes sold as the black kuhli loach. Unlike the boldly banded kuhlis, it is a uniform dark brown to near-black, sometimes with a paler belly. It has the same slim, worm-like shape, and the small, erectile spine common to the family sits below each eye. The fish in the trade are wild caught or pond raised.

In the wild

The Java loach is found across the Sunda Islands and into Thailand. It lives in slow, soft, shaded streams and peat swamps floored with leaf litter and silt.

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Tank mates

The Java loach is a peaceful, shoaling species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator