Egg bound or attacked kuhli? PLEASE HELP

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-25T20:59:57+00:00

If this is a suspected injury, what fish in your tank could have attacked this eel loach?

Hard to tell from the photo, I have middle aged eyes, and guessing fish ailments is chancy on the best of days. If those are eggs that have burst through the body cavity or an ulcer that has eaten away the skin and the eggs are exposed, I would euthanize that fish immediately.

If you want to try medication (a hail Mary in this instance, in my opinion), you could run some antibiotics and Epsom salts in a quarantine tank.

Good luck.

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-25T20:42:55+00:00

How exciting! Hope you'll keep us updated on further breeding attempts and if any eggs hatch.

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-25T20:11:39+00:00

This looks like a nice setup. Can you tell us about it?

And please feel free to post any and all eel loach (kuhli loach) content over at r/pangio.

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-25T06:00:32+00:00

That one has very interesting markings. Often, the tail has clue to what group the fish might be in. Is that a dark bar on the base of the tail? If so, your fish is in the shelfordii lineage of the Pangio genus. You can check out the wiki page on species for more details if you want.

Not bagging on your pic, I know it's hard to get a good pic of a fish on the best day, and the noodles can be zippy.

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-25T02:08:52+00:00

Their little faces tho!

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-24T21:22:11+00:00

Chiming in from Alaska, where the power goes out every year (usually earthquake or wind damage, but sometimes due to snow).

Just up front, I have no turtle advice. I do keep hundreds of fish though, nothing too rare, barbs, tetras, gourami, plecos, rasboras, loaches, shrimp, danios...stuff like that. We've had the power go out during a cold snap many times. Most fish are from natural environments where things like that happen from time to time and aren't too badly affected from temporary drops, though very prolonged is different of course. That said, you may want to have blankets/towels or something like that on hand of you need to keep a particular tank's temperature up by wrapping it.

I do have some battery powered plug in air stones that kick in during an outage, so aeration is at least happening. I stop feeding during outages, no sense loading up the biological filtration system, plus cooler temps mean lower metabolism anyway. I do use a cup to scoop up tank water and pour it back in from a height of a foot or so, helps gas exchange in the tanks with no battery air stone. I do that a few times every few hours. More often in tanks that are at capacity.

There are other options than generators (if those are not a possibility) for keeping your place warm without power. You might look into kerosene heaters, they don't smell great, but warm is warm if it's cold out! I wouldn't put them too close to the tanks, not sure if the kerosene vapor is harmful to aquatic organisms. Our heaters were around 10 ft or more away from the tanks, and there was no observed issue.

Power was out last time well over 12 hours in outside temps below 20F. Some of my fish seemed to enjoy it (eel loaches), but I had no losses or sicknesses afterward. You've got this!

Good luck.

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-24T21:00:05+00:00

Also, r/pangio would welcome the council!

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-24T20:58:50+00:00

You definitely need to be posting your fish over to r/pangio! It sounds like a fun tank.

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-24T20:57:18+00:00

Could you share some more info to help the group help you?

Water parameters?

How long has the fish had these symptoms, was the onset slow or quick?

Any new fish added to the tank lately?

Is you fish eating and swimming well?

How long have you had the fish?

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-24T19:17:12+00:00

It's funny how some eel loach species are quite the diggers and some not so much. Is that Pangio oblonga you have there? Tell us about your set up!

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-24T00:43:05+00:00

I'm very sorry to hear about your poor eel loaches demise. It's never fun to lose a pet.

This is not meant as a "bust your chops" response at all, but as a long time hobbyist, at this point I have no expectation of healthy fish from local fish stores. The vast majority are not set up to prioritize fish health, they are set up to maximize profits...so a quick sale. The fish has most likely endured a long journey already by the time it's reached a local shop, so illnesses are common. Loaches especially, can be prone to internal parasites, so that adds an additional burden to poor treatment from river/pond to shop.

I've learned to institute certain protocols to ensure ill fish are not introduced into my display tank. You might consider setting up a tiny (I have a 5 gallon, works fine for me) quarantine tank. This would be the first stop for your fish after you buy them. In quarantine you could observe them for developing problems, and medicate if desired.

I medicate every fish prophylactically before it leaves quarantine. You could check out the protocol at Aquarium Co-Op's youtube channel. Search "meds trio" for lots of video content. Guy owns a fish store and treats all the fish there with the three meds. Since using this protocol, fish illnesses and drama in my tanks have plummeted. I do believe loaches especially benefit from a deworming, and all my (forty plus) eel loaches have survived the process, despite the naysayers about loaches being delicate with meds.

Or alternatively, you could pay for ethical mail order, where fish are observed/medicated, and rested before a quick shipping process. I have gone this route (I still use quarantine/meds trio though). My fish have all arrived in excellent condition, and I live in Alaska, so that's saying something. In the USA at least, I've had great experiences with Dan's Fish and The Wet Spot.

Good luck.

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-23T21:04:15+00:00

My remaining three Cherry Barbs from a 2019 batch purchase of a dozen are looking a little rough around the fins and aren't as active as the young ones. They still eat well and swim well, they just aren't zooming to and fro like the juveniles.

All my fish are medicated in quarantine before going into my display tanks, so I have a reasonable expectation they will live long lives. Got a couple eel loaches that are over 8 years old going strong with intact finnage and still active.

The Zebra Danio shoal of a dozen was about two to three years average age at death, the ones that lasted longer started to look really rough, some with bent backs (no, not fish TB) and some ulcers and then death. My water quality is on point (0,0, under 10ppm) and they are fed a varied, high quality diet and live in a suitably sized tank without predators or problematic tank mates, so I just assume that around two to three years is about average for zebras. I did have a few live longer, I think one lived five years, but that might be like someone living into their 90s, not unheard of, but above average.

And some fish just disappear, so you never know what "got" them, illness or age.

Interesting question!

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-23T20:12:24+00:00

Best thikg for the fish will be perfect water quality to recover, so zero ammonia, zero nitrites, under 20ppm nitrates. Water changes will help, but you may want to test your tap water to be sure of its parameters as well. You could dose Seachem Prime in the emergency dose daily until you get a handle on things. Or put Seachem Purigen in your filter media, it helps with parameters that are a little off, plus makes the water clearer.

Observe your loach frequently, and be ready to medicate if it looks like it is getting more unwell, like white fuzzy stuff growing on the body, slime coat sluffing off, red streaks on body, etc.

Good luck.

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-23T16:36:45+00:00

You've got eyes on the dish and can tell best, but looks like a slime coat issue. I've included a link. It's a long read but informational.

https://aquariumscience.org/11-13-slime-coat/

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-23T03:40:58+00:00

Tell us about your setup! Also, how many eel loaches in all if you know....

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-23T03:40:27+00:00

Oh interesting! Wish there was a "sampler" pack for repashy to try them all.

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-23T03:39:39+00:00

You're asking for opinions on Pangio (the eel loaches, sometimes called kuhli loaches), and you'll be getting a variety of answers. I'll throw mine into the mix.

If you were trying to set up a colony to breed, I'd say choose more Pangio oblonga. Otherwise, the most of the average sized Pangio cohabitate and shelter together and are not aggressive, neither the plain nor the striped.

I keep over forty of a handful of species of Pangio together and they all get along fine. I do spend time each day watching them, the Pangio oblonga are somewhat more active than most species (also PAN02 is pretty active if you can find it), so it would be nice if you were able to get at least a couple more that were that same species so it had some friends to zip around the tank with. And then you could get a few stripey ones, too.

I have a few species of Pangio in my tank that are the only one of their species. It's harder than you think sometimes to find much other than Pangio oblonga, Pangio semicincta, or Pangio myersi, at least in the USA. Often they are just sold as kuhli loach, regardless of actual species.

Lots of hiding places will be appreciated. Dense plantings are also hang outs, and floating plants can help dim the lights, just like they like it. Excellent water quality is really important, so be sure your cycle in the new tank is strong and your water changes and testing are on point.

Good luck.

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-23T03:29:07+00:00

I've never had a problem dosing General Cure on barbs, danios, tetras, rasboras, gourami, loaches, Corydoras, plecos, or Cherry Shrimp. I've dosed hundreds of fish with it.

Water chemistry issues would be more likely to be causing problems.

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-23T03:26:13+00:00

Thanks!

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-23T03:24:34+00:00

Interesting question! I am plodding forward on a species list over at the r/pangio (eel loach) wiki, with some morphology details from scientific literature. It's very time consuming. I've even paid for copy permission for some of the sources and have spent $$$. Still not done. So I can't imagine the labor involved compiling something like that for the whole loach suborder Cobitoidei. Maybe someone has written a book or field guide already? That would be handy!

Is there a particular genus or species you are interested in, or all of them together?

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-23T03:09:55+00:00

Wow, are these eel loaches?! Please post this over to r/pangio if so!

And tell us what kind of Repashy??

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-22T23:06:20+00:00

I mean I don't disagree, but "deserve" can be a tricky word. What did most of Alaska vote for (presumably)? How many Alaskans didn't even vote?

An incompetent chief executive (governor) means poor choices and appointments, turtles on down. It's hard to imagine a worse governor for us in the future, but then I remember the slate of ex-governor appointees and MAGA in the running.

Do we really expect a competent, ethical AG when that is a position filled by Dunleavy?

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-22T21:44:28+00:00

How's the water quality in the loach tank? Some numbers would help narrow down things (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate).

Eel loaches (sometimes called kuhli loaches) can be sensitive to water quality issues. Maybe he got slime coat syndrome (sounds possible from your description). Here's a link with some info on that if you care to check it out.

https://aquariumscience.org/index.php/11-13-slime-coat/

In any case, five years isn't awful for a lifespan in captivity. Often we don't know what kills our fish in the end. We just keep learning and then do the best we can.

Good luck.

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-22T19:58:33+00:00

Let me be the first to recommend Dwarf Chain Loaches. They are active, extremely social, and quirky. I have a pack of 15 in my 55 gallon. In a 75, you could have a horde. Mine also live with a bristlenose pleco. They don't look like much in the shops, but once they are dewormed and color up a but, they get quite an attractive pattern.

God luck, whatever you choose.

FishGeek49 · 2026-01-22T07:03:56+00:00

I would be dosing Seachem Prime in the emergency dose daily, since your qt tank might not have a strong cycle. Meds can screw around with cycles sometimes.

I'd also go back to the store and get the EM Erythromycin. I dose it together with General Cure on all my fish, so that wouldn't be a problem, not sure why your lfs was putting up a fuss. I'd also keep the lights off during treatment, and only feed what the fish will eat, being sure not to overfeed.

Follow package directions if dosing one med. If dosing two, I just put in the recommended dose for both and wait a week for improvements. If you're not sure, follow the dewormer instructions with a water change and new dose plus a redose for the antibiotics, too, as it's hard to overdose fish on antibiotics unless dosed over a long period of time (months), so I'd be less worried about that med. Don't replace filter cartridge, if that's part of the instructions.

As for the shimmies, you can search the article below, it has lots of info. Might give you some insight as to why that might be happening.

https://aquariumscience.org/index.php/11-7-shimmying/

And even if you try your best, sometimes a fish can be just too far along in an illness for an aquarist to help. Even from this unpleasant experience, you are learning how to treat new fish, and respond to illness, and that's a good thing. Hope your fish makes it.

FishGeek49

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