Kuhli loaches can be quite social among their kind and are very peaceful tank mates for other fish. So, there is always a common question revolving around them. Most of us wonder if these Kuhli loaches can live with the fish that are considered to be one of the hardest fish to live with. Angelfish often live well with various loaches. Hence, keeping them with Kuhli loach can be a dream come true. But can you keep Kuhli loaches with angelfish?
Yes, you can keep nearly 5 Kuhli loaches with angelfish in the tank. Thanks to the small size of the loaches, they will go well with the angelfish. But the tank size plays the main role in determining if they survive with the tank mates.
And of course, Kuhli loaches that are the owl of the fishkeeping world will make an active fish-like angelfish comfortable during the daytime.
But this will not be enough for you to start keeping Kuhli loaches with angelfish. You have to gain more knowledge possible and also understand what other fish there are you can choose from.
This article I have written below will guide you to keep Kuhli loaches with angelfish. Let’s dive in.
Can I Keep Kuhli Loaches With Angelfish?
Yes, you can keep Kuhli loaches with angelfish. In point of fact, loaches are one of the few fish that will comfortably stay in the tank with Angelfish.
Angelfish are famous for being aggressive when they don’t like their tank mates. However, they are quite peaceful fish usually and they get their tiny bit of aggression from their family line cichlids.
But you don’t have to worry about their aggression when it comes to Kuhli loaches. Kuhli loaches pre4fer the similar type of environment as Angelfish.
Both of them are plant-lovers and prefer heavily planted tanks to hide around. Your Kuhli loach will not complain about Angelfish being territorial too.
They will stay happily at the bottom of the tank without disturbing or making any fuss with Angelfish. Your Angelfish will happily stay in the tank with Kuhli loach.
Will Angelfish Attack Kuhli Loach?
Well, Kuhli loach minds their own business in the tank. Hence, there is nowhere in hell these Kuhli loaches will invade the territor5y of angelfish to trigger any war.
These bottom-feeders stay at the bottom of the tank digging substrate or hiding behind or under the decorations.
They will barely come in contact with these Angelfish. And of course, the nocturnal nature of Kuhli loach makes them stay away from Angelfish.
When your angelfish is active, these Kuhli loaches will rarely pop its head out except for the feeding time. And when your Kuhli loach actually comes out, your angelfish will be resting somewhere in the other part of the tank.
With all these impossibilities, if your Kuhli loach ever come across Angelfish, they will probably avoid each there. The chances of Angelfish attacking Kuhli loach is quite minimal, nearly zero.
These Angelfish will only attack their tank mates when they invade their privacy and their area. Thus, your Kuhli loach is safe with Angelfish.
Fish You Can Keep With Kuhli Loaches
Sometimes, you want to try something new for your tank and create a community tank along with Kuhli loaches and Angelfish.
And sometimes, you want to explore the new set of tank mates for your tank with Kuhli loaches or Angelfish. I completely understand that.
Kuhli loaches will be fine with any fish that doesn’t come under the category of large fish or predators. And angelfish will be fine with the ones that leave them alone and do not invade their territory.
So, here is the list of fish that you can keep in the tank with Kuhli loaches:
- Corydoras
- Oto Catfish
- White Cloud Mountain Minnows
- Big Shrimps
- Danios
- Gourami
- Tetras
- Rasboras
And, I will give you the list of tank mates for your Angelfish as well. The following list of fish will be great tank mates for Angelfish other than Kuhli loach:
- Corydoras Catfish
- Mollies
- Platies
- Swordtails
- Keyhole Cichlids
- Bristlenose Plecos
What Other Loaches Can Go With Angelfish?
There are many loaches other than Kuhli loach which will happily accompany Angelfish in the tank. You might not know how many options you have when it comes to keeping Angelfish with loaches.
Clown loaches can be a bit of a headache as they are not compatible with your Angelfish. However, even with subsiding Clown loach and Kuhli loach from the list, you will have too many options to choose from.
Angelfish might be aggressive and territorial but will be compatible with most of the loaches without making any fuss.
I have mentioned all the loaches you can keep in the tank with Angelfish below:
- Elephant Nose
- Snake loach
- Red-finned Loach
- Polka Dot Loach
- Yo-Yo Loach
- Zebra Loach
- Dwarf Chain Loach
- Dojo Loach
- Java Loach
- Peppered Loach
Things You Need To Do In The Tank With Kuhli Loaches And Angelfish
If you are unable to maintain the proper environment for any of your fish, you will end up with either dead fish or an aquarium war. I know you don’t want any of these and it is better to make sure this never happens.
We often think two compatible fish will live together with no matter what the water condition or environment is. But this is not right.
You have to take care of both fish equally and keep in mind both of their needs while setting up a tank. Giving an environment where they can thrive is the key to making them compatible with each other.
Most of the time, we either end up making a tank favorable and best for Angelfish and completely forgot about the fact that there is another fish you need to keep which will ask for quite a similar yet a little different thing in the tank.
Although both of them have quite a similar water parameters range, there is a teeny tiny difference that should never be overlooked.
You have to maintain the water temperature between which both of these fish will be okay and healthy. Also, make sure aquarium ammonia poisoning is far away from the tank as both of these fish react harshly and can die due to this.
There are various ways to lower the ammonia level in the aquarium. Take a look at that. These things are the most common thing you need to maintain. Now, let’s talk about the things these Kuhli loaches and angelfish will actually be happy to have in the tank:
Tank Size
First and foremost, tank size plays an important role to determine if these fish will live happily in the tank or not.
Although these two are compatible with each other, they might end up fighting or getting injured when the tank size is too small for them.
Your Kuhli loach needs to be in the tank of at least 15 gallons capacity while Angelfish will be happy in the 40-gallons tank.
You see, you need to keep at least 5 or 6 Kuhli loach together and the number of Angelfish needs to be 2. These Angelfish do well when kept in pairs.
That’s why you will have to go for a tank that has a minimum capacity of 55-gallons. The way you set up this tank is similar to the way you set up a 50-gallon tank.
Do not compromise with the tank size when it comes to Kuhli loach and angelfish. Both of them need their own space to avoid one another in the tank.
Aquarium Plants
Angelfish is a plant-lover and so is Kuhli loach. Hence, aquarium plants are another must-have in the tank with Angelfish and Kuhli loach.
You will often find Kuhli loach hanging around the roots of floating plants while angelfish prefers to hide around the plants.
Both of these fish come from the area where there is dense vegetation and enough hiding spaces. You have to keep more plants in the tank as you can.
A heavily planted environment will make both of your fish comfortable and happy in the tank. You have to mimic their natural habitat to make them thrive in captivity.
We often overlook the fact that plants and fish can be good friends in the tank. While the fish excretion works as the manure for plants, plants give these fish a safe and sound place to hide and live within.
Trust me, you will love having these many plants in the tank and your fish will appreciate your effort to make them feel at home.
But remember you have to choose aquarium plants that will be okay to with the dim lights, basically low light aquarium plants.
Hiding Spaces
You may have heard how much your Kuhli loach loves to go into hiding and missing. Kuhli loach is known to go missing once in a while and people think that they died or got eaten by some other fish in the tank.
This is not the case. Your Kuhli loach is a nocturnal living being that prefers to stay hidden during the daytime.
They will only come out at night when the lights are off and also when you drop food in the tank. Either way, you will have to put decorations where your Kuhli loach can hide and stay.
Angelfish will also appreciate the decorations in the aquarium that give the vibe from home. You have too many options to choose from when it comes to decorations apart from the must-have accessories in the aquarium.
Kuhli loach will happily stay hidden inside the pipe if you keep it inside the tank. They won’t make any fuss about any decorations.
But remember to avoid sharp objects and decorations that can harm your fish. There are few decorations that are known to emit chemicals when dropped in water that can harm or even kill your fish.
Stay alert and careful with the decorations and remove them as soon as you see any emission or water color change.
Sand Substrate
When I first saw my Kuhli loach digging the substrate of the tank, I was so worried. It was the first time I was keeping a Kuhli loach and had very little knowledge about them.
Hence, I researched it later and found out it is usual and normal for these aquarium fish. Thereafter, I always made sure that the substrate I keep is soft and easily diggable.
Angelfish will not mind any kind of substrate in the tank. Hence, you have to think about bottom-feeders while choosing the substrate.
Your Kuhli loach will even dig gravel with no issues but this can sometimes injure them. You have to make sure the substrate you keep will not harm your Kuhli loach in any way.
They will dig a burrow in the substrate and bury themselves there when they are feeling like it or scared. Either way, you cannot risk their physical or mental health.
Hence, go for the sand substrate which will be easier for them to dig and bury. They will come out of their burrow when the light goes off or they are hungry.
Brighter lighting in the tank makes them go into hiding more often and you will often see them losing color. So, make sure to keep the lighting as minimal as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have also collected some of the questions that people often stumble upon and get confused about. I how this will help you ease keeping Kuhli loach in the tank.
How Many Kuhli Loaches Are In A 55 Gallon?
Kuhli loaches grow up to 4 inches and will be happy with even 6 of them in the 15-gallon tank. They will adjust happily in the tank size as small as this.
Hence, a 55-gallon tank will be like a whole new space for these Kuhli loaches. You can go for nearly dozens of these Kuhli loaches in the 55-gallon tank.
However, you need to know how to set up a 55-gallons tank while trying to keep 12 Kuhli loaches together.
One of the most important things you need to look at while setting up the tank is to pick up a good filter. The filter you will be using should have a gph rating of nearly or about 6 times the total volume of the tank.
Can Bettas Live With Kuhli Loaches?
When I say that Kuhli loach is one of the wonderful fish for your tank, I am not lying or over exaggerating. They can be quite interesting even when they are sitting still in the tank.
You will find your Kuhli loach digging the substrate or burying themselves when they are free. Hence, this interesting part gets more exciting when it comes to keeping them with the most stubborn fish in the aquarium.
Firstly, let me answer the question you have asked above. Yes, Bettas can live with Kuhli loaches, actually, it is the other way around. Your Kuhli Loaches will live with bettas in the tank.
Even if the bettas get aggressive or intend to start an aquarium war, you Kuhli loach will happily coexist with them.
If the situation gets worse, Kuhli loach will go missing for a while and comes back when the situation is back to normal.
However, keep them along with their group and never alone when it comes to living with the bettas. You will love having them in the same tank.
Conclusion
In conclusion, your Kuhli loaches are one of the most wonderful fish you can keep if you are experienced enough to take care of them. Their nocturnal, as well as peaceful temperament, give you the window to keep as many tank mates as you ant. As long as the fish is not aggressive, territorial, and larger than Kuhli loaches, or predators, your Kuhli loach will be fine living in the same tank. Angelfish and Kuhli loach can be some of the best additions to the aquarium. As one of them is nocturnal and the other is active during the day, you will always have one fish to look at.
There are other loaches like clown loach, zebra loach, etc. that will be a great tank mate for Angelfish. And there are other fish that will live happily with Kuhli loaches too.
You will have so many options to choose from. If you still have queries related to this topic or any other topic, drop them in the comment section below. I will get back to you when I am done moderating them.
Good Luck!!!
Happy Fishkeeping!!!
