BEST IN GROUPS OF 3 Scientific name: Ambastaia sidthimunki (Kottelat, 2012)Common name: Dwarf Chain Loach, Dwarf Loach, Dwarf Botia, Chipmunk Botia, “Sid”.Synonyms: Botia sidthimunki (Klausewitz, 1959),Yasuhikotakia sidthimunki (Kottelat, 2004)Distribution: Chao Phraya and Mekong basins – Cambodia, Laos, Thailand.Sexual Dimorphism: Mature females likely to have a rounder abdominal area.Maximum size: 6cm (2.5 inches)Similar to: Juveniles of Ambastaia nigrolineata. Care: The Dwarf Chain Loach is an excellent peaceful choice for the mature community aquarium. These fish thrive in large shoals, and 5 really is considered the absolute minumum number to keep together. The aquarium should have a fine soft sandy substrate in order to protect the fish’s delicate sensory barbel area, and should be furnished with bogwood, rocky caves and aquatic plants. Excellent water quality with a moderate amount of flow should be provided. In nature A. sidthimunki is found in a variety of habitats, some of which are flowing waters, others standing areas of water in flooded regions. Feeding: Easy to feed – will accept most small foods offered. Sinking catfish pellets, micropellets, flake, algae wafers, and small-sized frozen foods such as Daphnia, cyclops, baby brineshrimp and mosquito larvae are taken with much enthusiasm. Water parameters: pH: 6.0 -7.5. Hardness: Soft and slightly acidic is best. Max dh: 12. Temperature: 75ºF to 82ºF (24-28°C) Breeding: This species is spawned on a large scale via hormone treatment, details of which appear to be a highly guarded trade secret. This is to help take pressure off of the already steep decline in wild stocks. A number of aquarists have reported signs of probable pre-spawning behaviour in their established large shoals. During the Winter of 2007, Mark Duffill discovered that his A. sidthimunki group had bred and a number of young had survived the attentions of the adult fish. For further details on this fantastic achievement, please click here. Picture from Instagram by @billcamp11

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Kuhli Loach (the Coolie Loach) If you are looking for an interesting fishy friend, this baby is perfect!   Not only is their colouration attractive, but they require very little maintenance, which makes them a real coup for any home aquarium. The Kuhli loach Pangio Kuhlii is a social freshwater fish or an excellent tank mate. They originate from Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula and dwells in shallow rapids and swamps with slow-moving water.  Kuhli loaches are also known as clowns of the aquarium because they may do some unique behaviors like swimming upside down, behaving more like a cat than a fish. The stripes along its side make for an interesting pattern that all visitors to your home aquarium will surely appreciate. The habitat of this snake-like creature is usually found under rocks and logs, but it’s not uncommon to see it swimming around the tank. These nocturnal creatures are very slender, so you’ll need only a tiny improvised fish tank with several inches of water depth for your new friend!   Care Guide These little guys are perfect for any home aquarium since they’re usually pretty low maintenance (i.e., don’t need a lot of fish food or upkeep, will do well at room temperature, etc.). Plus, they even give those algae eaters a run for their money!  They may not eat algae but they demolish unfinished fish food, lowering your aquariums ammonia levels.    Fish Tank Parameters Temperature:24°-29°C Ammonia/Nitrite: 0 Nitrate: >30 ppm pH: 5.5-7.0 GH: 3-5 dGH (50-83 ppm) KH: 3-4 dKH (53-71 ppm)    Food These carnivores make the perfect pet for a fish enthusiast. They eat just about anything you put in their tank, but they seem to like blood worms and brine shrimp. Kuhli’s usually accept pellets or flakes in captivity; however, frozen live food such as mosquito larvae are recommended at least once every other day to help keep these animals healthy and thriving.   Appearance These small eel-looking fish with dark brown stripes yet transparent skin can range from 7.5 to 12.5cm and are a popular aquarium species for those who want something with personality. Their long bodies end with four pairs of barbels around their mouths – these help them find food on the bottom of lakes where they mostly live.   Kuhli Loach Home Habitat The Kuhli Loach is renowned for its coloration and beauty. They are found in South-East Asia, with their habitats being limited to the shallow, slow-moving waters of forest streams, a similar environment as old peat swamps, which have black waters. The water can be very acidic at times due to pH levels that range from 3.0 – 4.0 (with an extremely low mineral content) because there are usually high amounts of organic material such as plants decaying on the riverbed’s substrate from sand or mud.   Kuhli Loach Behaviour The Kuhli Loach is a peaceful fish to anything not too small. They may seem like the definition of lazy during daylight hours; however, as night falls, their behavior changes to one reminiscent of submarines on patrol! These marine scavengers spend the most time near river beds looking for food that has sunken down from above- such as plant debris or smaller creatures unlucky enough to find themselves at the bottom without anything else nearby to use in self-defense against these predators. This means that, unlike other fishes who spend all day hunting on top of water’s surface, demersal creatures such as Kuhli’s prefer hiding out under rocks or among aquatic plants close enough to get maximum exposure without fear of being eaten by predators.   Kuhli Loach and Aquarium Fishes Compatibility Kuhli Loaches are peaceful fish who will spend most of their time swimming at the bottom of your tank. They’re best kept with other small non-aggressive schooling fish such as Corydoras, Danios, Rasboras, and Tetras so that they can scavenge peacefully among them without being disturbed by more active swimmers like Angelfish or Tilapia. Good tankmates in this situation include White Cloud Mountain Minnows, Oto Catfish, and shrimps like the Red Cherry Shrimp.   These creatures inhabit a higher elevation than Kuhlis do on average, meaning there is less chance for territorial disputes to occur when you decide between which species make up your aquarium ecosystem! Cute Eel Body with a Dorsal Fin These tiny aquatic creatures have eel-shaped bodies, four pairs of barbels around the mouth, and pretty cute little fins. The dorsal fin starts behind the middle of your pet’s body, while their anal fin is well behind this.   How to Breed Kuhli Loach It can be challenging to breed Kuhli Loaches, but it is possible to set up a breeding tank with the following parameters. The water levels should be lower, and there should not be much light for females to lay their eggs on plants or dense vegetation that will promote spawning. Lowering the hardness of your water while maintaining its acidity at pH 6.5 could help make this process more feasible.   What about an aggressive fish like a Betta? Can’t help but feel your Betta is a grump but still needs friends? Introduce the Kuhli Loach as the Betta’s BFF. Friendly, infinitely easier than breeding guppies, and practically guaranteed to get along with any other species of organism in your tank! Kuhli loaches thrive on anything and might end up being one of your underwater buddies for life!   Kuhli Skin Shedding  The Kuhli Loach’s skin may come off like a bad shirt that no longer fits, but nothing can phase this tough critter. In fact, this is totally normal for them, as they naturally shed.  We recommend providing plenty of salt in their water tank to keep it clean during this time. Also consider floating plants to keep your tank healthy!   Skin Watch Some Loaches develop a white patch on their side that goes over areas of their skin, giving them the look of being bald. They might also have some kind of skin affliction like scales or spots across their body as well. There are many reasons why this may happen, but regardless it’s a cause for concern. Your water quality and tank mates should be inspected because sometimes fighting between other fish can result in wounds and ulcerations to your pet! You need to make sure you provide them with plenty of hiding places; those that live exclusively on the bottom tend to hide more often than others, so sand substrate really helps promote natural behavior too! Get any pollution under control at home if possible (you know what’s in there).

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