New Member and Khuli ID and Question

[Sandra]

Hi
I am new to this forum. I have a couple of Khulis I am hoping you can help me ID and also a quick question.

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y207/F ... khulli.jpg

Hope this link works! (My tank isn't this green looking in real life, but I don't have a very good camera.) I bought 2 of these lovely little guys back in early August, and I am not sure if they are Muraneniformis, Alternans or Shelfordi or a another. I also bought 6 Alternans from MH Aquatic in Peterbo' but these 2 came from a different shop and are very different. They seem to be staying a lot smaller than all my other Khuli's, including the Alternans.

I also have some Cory Cats all of which had missing barbels when I bought them. Most have re-grown thier barbels, but 2 haven't, so I think I might need to treat with an anti-bac. I was going to use Melafix, but have read that Khulis don't like it, so is there another anti-bacterial I can use in a tank with Khulis?

Thanks in advance
Sandra

[Martin Thoene]

Hi Sandra and welcome to LOL. If you've been shopping at MA Peterborough then you've shopped in the best loach shop in the world

Those kuhlis are super nice. I'm sure the left-hand one is a Pangio myersi and the other is most probably P. shelfordi.
This is an incredibly variable species. If you can get any closer pics it might help.

Martin.

[Sandra]

Hi Martin

Thank you for your response. They do have a lovely range of loaches in MH Aquatics at Peterbo'. I have bought most of my hillstreams from there, and they are lovely fish.

The photo is the best my poor photography skills and inadequate camera can produce. I am hoping to get a better camera, but I also want a larger tank...

I hope the khuli on the right of the photo is a Shelfordi. I have 2 of them, but haven't been lucky enough to find any more.

Many Thanks
Sandra

[cybermeez]

I agree with Martin. That's one nice, chubby P. myersi you have on the left there! She looks very healthy. Those markings on the P. shefordii are clasic shelfordi and just gorgeous. Keep up the excellent care, they look very happy!

[bslindgren]

Welcome. That is one beautiful big mama kuhli loach and a gorgeous P. shelfordi! You should try to get some company for each of them! They enjoy each others company a lot! I have some six smallish P. kuhli that mostly hang out in a Cryptocoryne thicket, but always come out together at feeding time. In another tank I have six P. myersi that live in a rock pile but come out at feeding as well. Definitely wonderful (and affordable) fish!!

[Sandra]

Hi

Thanks cybermeez & bslindgren

I really love kuhlis, and do have more than 2. Can anyone stop at just 2?

I have the 2 Shelfordi and 6 Alternans, 3 Myersi, all tubby like the one in the photo, and 4 other striped Kuhlis but I am not too sure what they are. (Well, I think I have 3 Myersi. One of them has much narrower stripes than usual, so she may be something else?) I think Spot (poss a P. Kuhli) might be gravid - but she has suddenly become very shy, so it is hard to be sure.

I have put some anubius on small bits of bog wood at the front of the tank, and they hang out in there (literally) most of the time. (They also go under the 3 large bits of bog wood and use one of the coconut caves.)

Luv 'em to bits!

Thanks for the great site. The info on here is excellent.