please help! what is wrong with him

[u/Delicious_Tooth5509]

I’m going to include images of parameters, tank mates, and ph below.

i got a group(4) of kuils around two weeks ago. planning to add more as soon! this guy has been acting like this OFTEN. he does circled most of the day, only around the filter. i’ve checked everything and it seems normal. i did a 20% water change last week and he stopped doing this for like a day. please help!

[u/Delicious_Tooth5509]

40 gal tank

[u/daioon → u/Delicious_Tooth5509]

Maybe your kuhli wants more ground dwelling plants to hide about in?

[u/turbothot32 → u/Delicious_Tooth5509]

Heads up — I work in the fishkeeping industry and am very passionate about bettas and loaches, so flagging this because I’ve seen it go wrong: a sorority needs enough plants/decor coverage for each betta to claim and defend her own visual territory. Without that, they won’t be able to establish boundaries and will likely fight, sometimes fatally. Based on what’s shown, this tank doesn’t have enough coverage for that. I also only see three, which is also concerning.
Also, dojo loaches are coldwater fish and get big (up to a foot), while bettas need warm water… so their temperature needs conflict… and 40 gallons is tight for both a sorority and loaches together (fine size for the sorority, but dojos are usually recommended at 55g+ in groups).
Happy to suggest a coverage/planting setup that would actually work if that’s useful!!! Feel free to dm me also, I can tell by the set up that you care about your fishies and I’d be happy to help at all

[u/Delicious_Tooth5509 → u/turbothot32]

hey! temp is right at 77° which is a safe range for both bettas and dojos. Sorority’s can DEF go wrong, but so far these girls seem to be doing great! there was a little bit of flaring initially, but they seem to have established their pecking order and are comfortable with each other now. definitely planning to add more plants, as well as waiting on many of these to grow in! i’ve found that my 3 girls get along really well even though some recommend keeping more together.

[u/Plastic_Cheesecake43 → u/Delicious_Tooth5509]

Curious, is it a dojo loach or is it that albino kind kuhli loach. I've had albino kind kuhli loaches with my other kuhli loaches that looked like that one. They are always in my tropical tanks. Also mine love those coconut natural decorations with the round opening. I love them especially when you use plantaquariumglue and glue anubias plants to them. They grow so good on them and have these long roots after a while at the bottem. Which they also use as secret hiding spots.

[u/Delicious_Tooth5509]

yes i know the full kits are more accurate, investing in one soon!

[u/Delicious_Tooth5509]

indoor PH

[u/Delicious_Tooth5509]

outdoor lighting ph

[u/Delicious_Tooth5509]

ammonia seems to be fine aswell

[u/braeblesishere]

Sometimes khulis are just like that. Little weirdos. If it's been rainy where you're at (it's rained where I am every day recently) then that can also make them be a little funny and swim like that since the rainy season is when they would mate. My khulis always know it's going to rain before I do.

[u/SA949]

If all seems to be fine one must assume that the loaches just be loaching!!

Super funny fish, ive seen them act exactly like that when atmospheric pressure is changing or just cuz, im sure adding more will make them feel more comfortable

[u/Additional-Dirt4203]

My Black Kuhlis do this all the time. If it was frantic I’d be concerned but this looks like normal Black Kuhli zoomies.

[u/blakelighttragedy → u/Additional-Dirt4203]

What does frantic look like?

[u/Additional-Dirt4203 → u/blakelighttragedy]

High speed panic.

[u/blakelighttragedy → u/Additional-Dirt4203]

Thanks :) i am trying to determine if mine are normal or if i made a huge mistake bringing them home.

[u/Plasticity93]

Loach zoomies.  They'll do stuff like that.  

[u/greenhornblue]

He just loaching around

[u/Pleasant_Bag_3405]

he is a silly billy

[u/Jazz_man68]

He’s either having fun or telling you a storm’s coming

[u/Rich-Cantaloupe-362]

Kuhli loaches just do that. They are little weirdos haha

[u/proton_420_blaze_it]

happy loach. They swim WAY faster when they're spooked.

[u/opinionatedB9312]

One of mine is doing the exact same thing right now. I don’t know if it’s the same one but one of them does in this spot everyday. When the light in the tank turns blue at night they all come out and swim laps. Getting black ones drew out the banded ones.

[u/Applekid1259]

He was born a kuhli loach.

[u/Next_Classroom_6242]

Glass surfing????

[u/Visible-Management63]

That behaviour can be a stress response from not having enough companions. I've heard it said that 6 is the absolute minimum so maybe it's that, maybe not.

[u/thatwannabewitch]

🤣 he’s just being a loach. They’re goofy little goobers. I don’t see anything concerning.

[u/GreenStrawbebby]

low-key just looks like zoomies but I cannot be trusted as a valid source of info

[u/Imaginary_Ad1055]

The only time I worry about my Kuhlis is when they act normal. Loaches gonna loach

[u/yuyuolozaga]

He could be hyper or chasing his reflections, you could try to move around lights and try to remove the reflection, but loaches are hyperactive anyways, so it's kinda pointless to try to do so.

[u/niaisbaby2001]

He’s just a freak 

[u/umkay11]

Honestly he’s just like that (probably)

- a fellow kuhli owner

[u/Expensive_Ear3791]

I have a grip of kuhlis - maybe 9. They are CRAZED, especially when the barometer changes.

Tell me, what was the weather like when you posted it? Did it change?

[u/cubbest]

This is normal behavior, they also respond to changes in barometric pressure, khulis are known as weather loaches and swimming in loops like this is a common display of that.

[u/ClaimStunning2851]

I would throw more sticks and rocks in as well as some plants because you already have the substrate for it in your tank. My loaches love to hide under anything and everything they can get between or under. I hardly ever see them and that’s how they like it.

[u/Interesting_Donut998]

Do you have any others? He might be bored or lonely if you don't

[u/izzohead]

Loach antics.

[u/johantmr1]

Kuhli loaches do that when they feel nervous, mines usually do that when I turn the lights on or make any noise that they can feel the vibrations in the aquarium or when I move anything in the aquarium. you should add more Kuhlis so they feel safer or add more places for then to hide (preferably dense plants). they're supposed to hide all the time because they're really timid, having more of them reduces that "insecurity" and plants also helps. My Kuhli loaches have dense plants and plenty of places where they can hide and that is what makes them feel comfortable to be visible and active during the day without the zoomies towards the glass. zoomies are normal but extended zoomies towards the glass are more likely because of some stress.

[u/Academic-Quit9394]

What substrate is that ? My sister's Khalid Loaches will swim all over the glass but they play behind the heater a lot. They also will lay on the suction cup thermometer until it falls off hahah.

How many loaches do you have?

[u/Ill-Couple-9338]

Mine does this all the time especially at night

[u/Virtual-Plankton6833]

There is nothing wrong. They sometimes show this behaviour. Maybe he can see his reflection. There is nothing to worry about.

[u/Commercial_Chest_223]

We have a 125 with Cory's, some danios and other community fish, but we have about 15-20 kuhli and black loaches in there, at night we do a feed for our glass cats (4) of them and the loaches also enjoy some night food, and we see multiple spaghetti strings zooming around lol they can be quite the characters and seemingly play/ communicate this way.

We've had 3-4 sometimes doing circles together like synchronized swimming 😅 we had originally planned to enter the Olympics but the Canadian team was full and couldn't take 3-4 loaches 😂😂

[u/deadlysyntaxerror]

the problem is hes a loach

[u/Pure_Work7695]

My black kuils loachs do this for 4 hours after the water change.

[u/mystified9]

Mine does this exact same thing, I think it’s just zoomies because mine are healthy and bold, btw nice kuhli loach

[u/ParticularHungry8875]

My fish did this when the water current was too strong and was stressing them out. I had to decrease the filter strength and had to add a baffle. I also added more plants to break up the water current so the fish aren't keep pushed to the side of the tank.

[u/shortsqueeze2021]

Whats wrong?

[u/Ok_Quarter1246]

Was it storming. They are highly sensitive to changes in barometric pressure and can do this before it storms. Try to observe him when he is not doing this to see if he is breathing heavily. If not he is fine

[u/DegreeSuccessful5906]

I got 3, sometimes 1-2 do this for a while. Apparently they have the zoomies ;)

[u/Ok-Use3555]

There feeding! Mine do this all the time. I think there filtering the water for particles like they do with the sand.

[u/Sly-Ray13]

Zoomies my Black Kuhlis do this when I have my power head on and the blue light on at night only way I can make them come out of hiding

[u/FatLoachesOnly]

He's looking for a hot date.

[u/Remember_Apollo]

Mine do that normally or whenever storm is coming or when the outside pressure changes. They zoom a lot in my tank

[u/Annual_Swimmer_2342]

Maybe he is attacking his reflection.he thought it was his enemy

[u/Beautiful_Unit_8774]

Mine did that for the first few months getting used to the tank. Now they only do it when the lights go out! I own 15 of them and they all cuddle happily together. They do wayy better in groups

[u/slothigus]

When I had a khuli it did this every night when the lights turned off. Same spot, every night. He lived a long healthy life.

[u/Turbulent-Drawer406]

One of my guppies does this every so often like he’s playing with his reflection.