Java loach

Pangio oblonga

Also known as Black Kuhli Loach

FreshwaterFish

Java loach (Pangio oblonga) — Marrabbio2 · CC BY-SA 4.0

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: 25 gal (95 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Sunda Islands, Thailand
Family: Cobitidae

Overview

The Java loach, sometimes sold as the black kuhli loach, is a plain, dark-bodied cousin of the banded kuhlis and is kept in much the same way. It is peaceful and does best in a group of six or more, which brings it out to forage together rather than staying tucked away. It keeps to the bottom, wriggling through sand and under wood and leaves in search of small foods. Give it a soft sand bed for burrowing and plenty of cover. Feed sinking pellets, frozen bloodworms, and small frozen foods, ideally after dark when it is most active. A group is comfortable in a tank of about 95 liters or larger.

In the wild

Pangio oblonga is found across the Sunda Islands and into Thailand, living in slow, soft, shaded streams and peat swamps floored with leaf litter and silt. The water is warm at 21 to 26 C and typically soft and acidic to neutral, around pH 6 to 7.5. A good tank copies that with fine sand, a layer of leaves, driftwood, and dense planting to cut the light. Gentle flow and tannin-stained water suit it well, and clean conditions with a mature, established substrate encourage this shy loach to feed in the open.

Good to know

Pangio oblonga is a member of Cobitidae, the true loaches, and grows to about 8 cm. Unlike the boldly banded kuhlis it is a uniform dark brown to near-black, sometimes with a paler belly, and has the same slim, worm-like shape. Below each eye sits the small, erectile spine common to the family. It is among the easier loaches to keep, but breeding is essentially unrecorded in aquaria, so the fish in the trade are wild caught or pond raised.

Did you know

The Java loach can supplement its oxygen by gulping air at the surface and taking it up through its gut, an adaptation that helps it cope with the warm, oxygen-poor swamp pools it often lives in. A quick dash to the top is normal behavior, not a sign of trouble.