Wedge-striped kuhli loach

Pangio cuneovirgata

Also known as Wedge-banded kuhli, Dwarf zipper kuhli loach

FreshwaterFish

Wedge-striped kuhli loach (Pangio cuneovirgata) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 70–81°F (21–27°C)
pH: 5.5–7.0
Adult size: 2.8 in (7 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Malay Peninsula and northern Sumatra
Family: Cobitidae

Overview

Standard kuhli care fits this one well: a wriggling group of six or more, small sinking foods after dark, and cover in every corner. It is among the shyer members of the genus, so the more leaf litter, wood, and shade you give it, the more often you will actually see it. It is peaceful and pays no mind to tankmates it cannot swallow, so keep small, gentle species alongside it. Feed sinking granules, frozen bloodworm, and daphnia once the lights drop. A group is at home in about 75 liters over soft sand.

In the wild

The wedge-striped kuhli lives in gentle, tannin-stained streams, swamps, and backwaters across the Malay Peninsula and into Sumatra. Give it soft, acidic water at pH 5.5 to 7.0 and a temperature of 21 to 27 degrees Celsius. A fine sand floor, deep leaf litter, and driftwood under low light recreate the peat-swamp habitat it prefers, and steady, slow flow completes the picture.

Good to know

Pangio cuneovirgata is an eel-loach of the family Cobitidae, reaching about 7 centimeters. Its name means wedge-striped: instead of full bands wrapping the body, it wears a row of dark saddles that sit only on the upper half and taper down like wedges, above a clear, colourless tail. That half-finished pattern is the quickest way to identify it. Aquarium breeding has not been recorded.

Did you know

Its markings look like a banded kuhli that ran out of ink partway down each stripe, leaving a row of wedge-shaped saddles across the back and a see-through tail. That unfinished look is exactly how keepers tell it apart.

Tank mates

Wedge-striped kuhli loach is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.