New Kuhli's!

[Wisegy84]

Hi all,

I just added 6 Kuhli's to my 38G tank yesterday and they seem to be doing fine so far. They are really neat and entertaining fish. They like to hide under my mopani wood most of the time, but one or two of the brave ones will come out and explore the tank every once in a while. My Diamond Tetras actually seem a little scared when one swims near them.

Right now they are hiding and I can see five of them, but I'm not sure where the sixth one is. I know they can burrow and I do have sand in my tank, so maybe it just burrowed into the sand? I don't want to disturb the tank at all, though, because it would just be stressful for them and me. I can't see the last one anywhere and I'm hoping that means he isn't dead, because I assume I would see the body if it had passed for some reason. How long should it take before they feel more comfortable and start coming out more? A week? A month?

Also, any suggestions on how to feed them when I have 8 Diamond Tetras who are very aggressive eaters? I know a couple of them got to nibble on a piece of sinking wafer I gave them before the Diamonds found it and finished it off. I really like those tetras because they are so active, but they are just as aggressive at feeding time as every other tetra I've ever kept.

Thanks very much.

I'll post pics if I can get some later.

 

[Svetlana]

had mine kuhlis for more then 6 months - still hiding
About feeding - throw floating food first and then small fast sinking pieces - loaches will have more chances to eat some till tetras are busy catching floating food, plus if sinking food are very small pieces tetras won't be able to find most of it while loaches will dig around till they get al of it - hope it helps

 

[PsyKick]

I wouldn't worry about the Kuhli's They are masters of hiding!
I am not surprised the tetra's are scared, id be freaked out if this crazy eel-like thing blasted past me like its tail was on fire

I agree with svetlana about the sinking pellets, also try slicing zucchini into rounds and par-boiling them, then tossing one in every other day (pull out the soggy ones after 24 hours). You can freeze the remainder of the zucchini until you are ready to toss one in, just let one sit on a plate for 10 minutes before tossing it in (or rinse in warm water for a minute). My Kuhlis love them some zucchini, when they can get at it, my Albino BN Pleco tends to hog the zucchini....

 

[Wisegy84]

Thanks for the help. I'll give that a try next feeding.

Here are the couple good pics I've been able to get so far, but granted I don't have the best lens right now for this kind of photography.

 

[fishorama]

Very nice loaches! It looks like those 2 are getting over their shyness already. You can feed sinking food after lights out too.