Have you started to consider buying kuhli loaches? These bottom-dwelling fish have the potential to be a great addition to your aquarium.
Perhaps you’ve seen them in an aquarium store and taken a liking to them. They are unique fish that can add some charm to your fish tank.
You might not know that much about them right now, though. Is it fine to keep kuhli loaches in a planted tank?
Keep reading to learn important information about kuhli loaches. This will help you to provide the kuhli loaches with an ideal environment.
Kuhli Loaches Are Safe to Keep in Planted Tanks
Keeping kuhli loaches in planted tanks will be simple. These fish aren’t known for consuming plants.
They might nibble or eat a bit of plant matter here and there. However, they aren’t going to eat plants.
So kuhli loaches won’t harm the aquatic plants that you put in the tank. These fish will enjoy having the plants around for various reasons.
You can easily pick out good plants for the tank if you want to. Don’t hesitate to put these loaches in planted community aquariums.
Kuhli Loaches Like Plants
Having plants in the tank will likely make the kuhli loaches feel much more at ease. These fish like being put in tanks that have more hiding spots.
Aquatic plants can make great hiding spots for kuhli loaches. They don’t hide among plants exclusively, but they feel better when tanks have plants.
So a planted aquarium will be better than an empty one for these fish. You can easily find good plants that will work out well in tanks with kuhli loaches.
The substrate needs to be fine aquarium sand or softer types of gravel. This is because the kuhli loaches like to burrow and rough substrate will harm them.
It shouldn’t be tough to find plants that will work out fine in such a setting. Below, you’ll learn a little about plants that kuhli loaches like.
What Plants Do They Like?
There are many types of plants that these fish like to have in the tank. You should have both floating plants and plants that attach to the substrate.
When looking for floating plants, you’ll find that options such as hornwort and duckweed will work nicely. The loaches will appreciate these plants being present in the tank.
For plants that attach to the substrate, you’ll want to go with common popular options. Anubias plants, java moss, and java ferns will be perfect choices.
You can choose other plants as well, but these plants are among the most common and popular. Simply having the plants in the tank can make the loaches feel so much more comfortable.
Plants are great because they reduce light levels and make the loaches feel better about coming out. They’ll likely be more active in the tank if there are plenty of plants present.
You might notice that a lack of plants will cause the kuhli loaches to hide more often than not. Hiding is normal behavior for these fish, but excessive hiding is something that can be mitigated.
Plants Help to Reduce Current
One thing to know about kuhli loaches is that they don’t like currents that are too strong. They aren’t used to dealing with very strong currents because of the natural habitat that they can be found in.
Some people might need to use powerful filters in their fish tanks, though. Many filters might make the current a bit stronger than the kuhli loaches will like.
This has the potential to stress the fish, but the problem can be mitigated. If the current is a bit too strong for the kuhli loaches, simply having more plants in the tank will help.
More aquatic plants will slow down the water flow and make it easier for the kuhli loaches to swim normally. It shouldn’t be a problem moving forward and the kuhli loaches will appreciate having plants in the tank.
Do Kuhli Loaches Need Plants?
It’s recommended to keep kuhli loaches in planted aquariums. They seem to be substantially more comfortable in planted tanks than they are in empty tanks.
These fish are shy and they need hiding spots. Plants give these fish hiding spots while also helping them in other practical ways.
Since kuhli loaches are nocturnal, they generally like to avoid the light. Having more plants makes it easier for kuhli loaches to enjoy reduced light levels.
Also, it helps with currents that are a bit too strong. The kuhli loaches will feel very at ease when there are enough plants in the tank.
Final Thoughts
Now you know that it’s perfectly safe to keep kuhli loaches in planted aquariums. These fish do well in aquariums that have plants and they certainly won’t cause the plants harm.
It’s in your best interest to put plants in the fish tank. Doing so will make the fish more comfortable and it can even help you to solve certain problems in the tank.
You might even need the plants to help deal with strong currents. There are plenty of amazing aquatic plants that will work nicely in fish tanks that contain kuhli loaches.
The kuhli loaches will hide among the plants and will generally appreciate the presence of plants. It’s still good to add other hiding spots to the tank as well such as caves and driftwood.
Do your best to set up the fish tank optimally for the kuhli loaches. This will ensure that they will have the best time possible under your care.
Jeff has always enjoyed having pets, but as a child, he was drawn to his family’s fish tank. Being able to maintain a small ecosystem and observe the behaviors and interactions in the underwater world peaked his interest early on and has kept him hooked until this day. On Avid Aquarist, Jeff shares everything he’s learned about helping aquatic life survive and thrive in a home aquarium.