Moray kuhli loach

Pangio muraeniformis

Also known as Moray loach, Spotted kuhli loach

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–81°F (22–27°C)
pH: 5.5–7.0
Adult size: 2.4 in (6 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia
Family: Cobitidae

Overview

A slim, eel-like kuhli that lives near the floor and does best in a group of six or more, since a lone fish hides and pines. It spends the day tucked into roots, wood, and leaf litter and comes out to forage as the light fades, so build it a tangle of cover rather than open space. It is completely peaceful and safe with the smallest tankmates, though it may take eggs or tiny fry. Offer small sinking foods, frozen bloodworm, and live blackworm after dark. A shaded tank of around 75 liters with soft sand and plenty of hiding places suits a group.

In the wild

This kuhli comes from shaded, gently flowing forest streams and swamp pools across Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, in soft acidic water thick with leaf litter and submerged plants. Reproduce that with fine sand, driftwood, botanicals, and dim light. Keep it warm at 22 to 27 degrees Celsius with soft, acidic water at pH 5.5 to 7.0. A mature, well-planted tank with steady low flow keeps it settled.

Good to know

Pangio muraeniformis is one of the eel-loaches of the family Cobitidae, reaching about 6 centimeters. Its name means moray-shaped, for the long, rounded, eel-like body, and in the trade it also goes by the spotted eel-loach for its mottled markings. It was described in 1933. As with other Pangio, it has no reliable record of aquarium breeding.

Did you know

The species name muraeniformis means shaped like a moray eel. Peer into its burrow and the comparison lands: a small loach holding its head out of cover in the pose of a reef moray, without any of the menace.