TankBud

Half-banded kuhli loach

Pangio semicincta

Also known as Kuhli loach, Coolie loach

FreshwaterFish

Half-banded kuhli loach (Pangio semicincta)
AverageWalrus · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
70–79°F
21–26°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
3.9 in
10 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Shoaling
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Family
Cobitidae
Origin
Sumatra, Malay Peninsula

Overview

The half-banded kuhli loach is a slender, eel-shaped bottom fish for a calm community tank. It is a step up from the easiest fish.

Did you know

For years, the common kuhli loach in shops was labeled Pangio kuhlii, but most of those fish are actually Pangio semicincta. The true P. kuhlii is a separate species from Java that only rarely enters the aquarium trade.

Caring for the half-banded kuhli loach

Give a group of half-banded kuhli loaches a tank of 20 gal (75 L) or more. A soft, fine sand bed is important, so they can dig and burrow without scratching. Add plenty of driftwood, leaves and plant cover, and keep the lighting dim. Tannin-stained blackwater and gentle flow mimic the peaty streams where they live.

Keep the water soft and warm, at 70 to 79°F (21 to 26°C), and slightly acidic to neutral. A pH of 6.0 to 7.5 suits them.

They spend their time sifting the substrate and squeezing under wood and roots. Feed sinking foods such as pellets, frozen bloodworms and blackworms after lights-out, since they feed mostly at night.

Keep at least six, and more if you can, since the half-banded kuhli loach is far more confident in a group. Kept in numbers, they come out to forage together, often in a writhing knot, instead of hiding alone. They are completely peaceful and make good companions for small, calm community fish. Deliberate breeding is essentially unrecorded, and the rare spawnings that happen are accidental.

Good to know

The half-banded kuhli loach, Pangio semicincta, is a member of Cobitidae, the true loaches. Its worm-like body is banded in dark bars that do not quite meet underneath, the half-banded pattern behind one of its common names. Hidden below each eye is a small, erectile spine typical of the family. Most kuhli loaches in the trade are collected from the wild.

In the wild

The half-banded kuhli loach comes from Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. It lives in slow, shady forest streams, with soft bottoms buried under leaf litter and tangled roots.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The half-banded kuhli 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

Common questions

What size tank does a half-banded kuhli loach need?

A half-banded kuhli loach needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a half-banded kuhli loach need?

A half-banded kuhli loach is comfortable at 70–79°F (21–26°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a half-banded kuhli loach eat?

A half-banded kuhli loach eats sinking foods such as pellets, frozen bloodworms and blackworms. Feed it after lights-out, since it feeds mostly at night.

How big does a half-banded kuhli loach get?

An adult half-banded kuhli loach reaches about 3.9 in (10 cm).

Does a half-banded kuhli loach need a group?

Yes. A half-banded kuhli loach is a shoaling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

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