Loaches Online Forum

Hello,

Over two months ago, I picked up a Pangio anguillaris. He was all alone in a tank of kuhli loaches, so I bought him along with his 9 tank mates. The store owner said they had never received one before and probably wouldn't again.
I've been searching for others like him, but I've not had any success. We have a Petsmart opening in our area in the next couple of months. I've never been to a Petsmart before, and I was wondering if those of you that are familiar with Petsmart have seen these pangios there.

Thanks so much.
http://www.loaches.com/species-index/pangio-anguillaris

Here's mine:

I have bought quite a few of these as contaminates. Actually I have never seen them on sale on purpose. I bought a few as Pangio oblonga and in ghost shrimp and feeder fish shipments.

I wish I could find a 'contaminant' like that!

Thanks Tanja and Diana.

I guess I'll just keep looking for them. Maybe I'll print off a picture of one to carry with me so I can ask store workers if they have any lurking under the gravel.

Frank's Aquarium has them on his list, but they are out of stock. Maybe if he has any when the weather warms again, I'll have to splurge.

Yeah best bet is to keep in looking for those contaminants. You never know.

I agree with Diana... I never see contaminants like that.

I know PetSmart's in my area, southern California, only sell albino dojo's and black khuliis and clown's. The only thing they get on accident that I have seen is crawdad's with the feeder goldfish.

My first few were contaminants, but the last batch I got on sale - there was a tank of them being sold as eel loaches from a larger store - I think they were 4/$5 or something ridiculous like that. They were very young - tiny, skinny as spaghetti when I got them - I was worried they would end up in my AC filter.

Thanks everyone.

I'm not too hopeful about finding them at Petsmart now, but I'll keep looking. It'll be fun to keep an eye out for them.

Wow! Laura, that was quite a deal you got. Do you see yours much?

Sadly, just about never.
I've got 10 khulis and 10 angullaris that make a couple of logs their home. They venture out at feeding time, and I occasionally see the khulis intertwined in some plants attached to the logs at other times, but other than that, they're all practically invisible. It sometimes amazes me that I've got 20 fish in a 65 gallon that I rarely see.....

Oh, that's too bad. I was hoping that adding extra angullaris would bring this one out of hiding. Oh well, I'm sure he'd like to have some of his own kind to hide out with.
I have 18 striped kuhlis, and I do see some of them just about all the time. I never see them all at once, but usually there's always a few out looking for tidbits. They especially like scavenging under my cryptocornes.

Carrying the photo with you when you go to LFS's is a good idea.
Hope you can find another 1 or 2...

Dont count your petsmart out. I have found contaminants at Petsmart and they have no clue what they are. One time I was there and I got a loach (cant recall what it is at moment lol) and they had no clue what it was so they gave me it lol. Anytime you get groups of fish in there is a chance for a contaminant. Just keep your eyes open.

I got my Pangio anguillaris from one of my favorite fish stores here in Michigan. They had no clue what they were other than a "Kuhli" loach. LOL Figuring Pangio oblonga or something. I took every single one of them they had so fast.

I wouldn't bother with a picture. Just ask to see all the oblongas or Kuhlies or whatever they call their slinky loaches, and see what they catch. Mine were sold as oblangas. I told them they weren't and showed them how to tell the difference. I have gotten them for free, and I have paid $1.66.

PetSmart also told me they didn't have any in stock. I asked if she could just rake her hands through the gravel, and I went home with five. Three oblangas, 1 Pangio anguillaris and one Pangio Dorida (spelling).

I got Pangio anguillaris at PetSupermarket for free in their Ghost shrimp tank. I have gotten Pangio oblanga in the shrimp tank too. They don't have a price for them, so they gave them to me for free, also some great whisker shrimp.

At one LFS I got 3 Horseheads after being told they sold all their horseheads weeks earlier.

Well, now I feel a little more hopeful that I might find some more anguillaris. Thanks.
I'd like to find oblonga, too, but they don't seem to be available around here. Maybe I'll find those when our new Petsmart opens.

At the store where I always find the striped kuhlis, the girls that work there hate to catch kuhlis. Actually, I think that they hate to catch any fish (or do any work, for that matter.) I wonder if they'd mind if I asked them to rake through the gravel to look for more kuhlis.
They know that I am always looking for kuhlis. The last time I was there, I noticed that there were a bunch of them in the tank, so I asked the girl how long they had been there. She quickly said, "Oh, they've been there a long time, but we'll be getting a fresh batch tomorrow." I think she thought that would discourage me from getting any that day. She looked pretty disappointed when I said I'd take them all.