khuli vs. cory

[brett_fishman]

hello all, i have a question..

when i get the 75 up and running..and cycled..and after i move the gouramis and yoyo into it, i will have just the one platy in my 10g

i would like to have 2 platys and 3-4 corys in there..

but..when i was in my lfs, i saw 4 magnificent pangio kuhlii...this was the first time i had ever seen them outside of pictures (ie: in real life) and i thought i must have them..haha

i know they can reach 4", but since they are very thin (even fat khulis are eel-like) wouldnt they be as much bioload as a 2" cory?


now for my question: would you be able to keep 4 kuhlis and 2 platys in a 10 gallon, or should i just stick with corys?

thanks,
brett.

[brett_fishman]

forgot to say this..

in the store, all 4 are around 2.5" long and .5-.75" thick...not too small i guess..

-brett.

[brett_fishman]

hello? 45 views and no replys, im sure someone has an answer..

-brett.

[mistergreen]

well, i see 5-10 khulis in a 10 gallon tank at the lfs all the time but i doubt they would recommend putting that much in a small tank. I'd say 4 is best suited for your bigger tank. I'm not an expert with loaches but i think they all require a lot of space to swim and dig around.

[bevans]

Hi Brett-I've got five kuhlis (3 striped, 2 black) in a 55 gallon tank. I also have 2 cory cats there. I have one teeny, tiny kuhli in my 10 gallon, along with some absolutely darling dwarf corys (habrosus). I think I'd save the kuhlis for the bigger tank. The habrosus corys only get 1" long, and they like to school in bunches, so you could get 6 or more of them, or just a couple of larger corys. There's also a bigger dwarf cory (can't remember the species, starts with an a), that gets about 1 1/2 inches. And a c. hastorus, which I think is even tinier than habrosus, but I've not seen any of those.

The teeny, tiny kuhli is only in the 10 gallon by himself because I think he needs some extra attention and less competition for food. Otherwise, he'd be with the pack. You're right in wanting multiples-the more the merrier as far as they are concerned. And they do like room.

Why don't you put some in your 75 gallon?

Obviously, I'm in love with the little dwarf corys. I think they're nice for a small tank because they're in scale, as it were, and you can have a little school of them. Cautionary note though-the lfs people who get them in say they don't take shipping well and regularly pop off in dismayingly large numbers. I bought three first and then another one, who had all been at the store for a while and they were OK. But last Wednesday I bought two more that had been shipped in on Monday and they both died within 24 hours. So if you go that route, you might want to have the store hold you some for a few days before you take them home.

[brett_fishman]

meh..i dont wanna get those little tiny kuhlis in the 75..haha..they'd get lost!!

i know that kuhlis dont need as much room as botias...but they do deserve more than 10g..its only 20" long, so..ok

i guess i'll just get 1-2 more platys and 4 corys..sounds good

i like peppered corys, i think bronze corys (and albino bronze) would get too big (they get around 2") so i will get some peppered corys..they get 1.5" if i remember right...


thanks,
brett.