The frantic swimming up and down the glass is normal for new additions. You should get more of them though. Kuhli loaches do better in larger groups of at least six.

 

yea I heard that too, I just didnt want to crowd the tank floor with kuhlis as its only a 38 gallon
I am planning to get at least 4 though, would that be enough to have them feel comfortable? I have had a kuhli before as a kid, it was alone and lived very happy for years, eventually it made its way into my HOB filter and died

never saw it swim against the glass though
guess it all depends on the fishs personality if its more of a loner . had a albino cory like that once too, wouldnt group no matter what

also do normal kuhli loachs need groups?

 

poor guy just wont stop doing this... hes hit the side of the glass a few times... the other one is completely fine though.. odd

 

so how long do they usually do this for

 

i would love that! the way they slither the floor of the tank is awesome
unfortunately they still are just swimming circles and what not :\ does no anyone know how long they take to adjust and chill out?

 

They never chill out lol. That is called the loach happy dance. Mine swim up and down in circles all day long with 2 or 3 going at once. Sometimes they'll move to another spot and swim up and around stuff like powerheads filter tubes, drop checkers, mag floats, etc. they'll sometimes rest on these items for a few minutes before starting up again. An unhappy loach is a hiding loach. When I just had 3 I never seen them out. Now that I have more they're always playing.

 

It's normal loach behavior. Consider it 'happy' behavior. When they settle down, you'll be lucky to see them.

 

hmm
I wonder if they just enjoy sliding on the glass, kinda like a "slip-n-slide" type of thing. they are smooth scaleless and have a slime coat right? aquarium glass usually is pretty sleek, or even have a slight film of microscopic algae, plus the aerodynamic shape of the fish's body . I bet they slide really well against the glass
my black one likes to do it in wide circles through the plants that press against the glass..awesome to watch
I also hear they are pressure sensitive and they get lighter during storms or something like that?
pretty interesting, I just always thought when other fish do this (tetras, barbs, rams etc) it was a sign of stress.
only thing that worries me is them not knowing where the glass ends and bumping their face ...
every time I just imagine them thinking "hahahaah."-bump "hahahaha"-bump.
rofl ><

 

I had a loach that swam back and forth really fast for 3-4 days straight. Migration?

 

I had a Dojo and a Khuli, both eventually calmed and years went by. They would eat out of my hand while resting in it, they literally hung over plants when napping, had bursts of energy and swam around. But they didn't mind being alone. Only difference would be sometimes they napped or swap together, but were usually separate. They're fun fish to watch.
I always turn lights off the day new fish are put in. Lights are on a timer and go on the next morning and the fish are fine by then.

 

Be careful of using medications in the tank with the loaches as they can't tolerate many meds well. I would get some more and let them be a merry group

 

My experience with kuhli loaches was similar... my black ones always swam around, doing circles on the glass and whatnot, but my regular ones were much more mellow, but stick active searching the substrate and decor.

 

I got 2 yesterday for my new aquarium one black one striped and smaller , the smaller one has stayed on the bottom and hides more in day but the black one still swimming up and down the glass frantically