All fish / Cobitidae

Eel Loach

Pangio anguillaris

Also known as eel loach, worm loach, giant kuhli loach, plain kuhli loach, brown kuhli loach, anguillaris loach, パンギオ・アングイラリス, 鳗鳅

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This is a slim, worm-like loach with a plain brown to greyish body and no bold bands, which makes it look quite different from the striped kuhli loaches. People keep it as a peaceful scavenger that sifts through soft sand and stays tucked under leaf litter and roots in community tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

10 cm

Temperature

22 to 28 °C

pH

5.5 to 7.5

Smallest tank

80 litres

Keep as

Group of 6 or more

Diet

Omnivore: sinking pellets, bloodworm, brine shrimp, daphnia and other small live or frozen foods

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

8 to 12 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Southeast Asia: Mekong and Chao Phraya basins, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo

Breeding

It scatters eggs, and spawning in aquariums has mostly happened by chance in mature, well-planted tanks. Deliberate breeding is rarely reported and has not been reliably repeated.

Good to know

It burrows and can slip through very small gaps, so use soft sand and cover filter intakes and any holes in the lid. Some sellers sell it under the names of other plain Pangio species, such as P. oblonga.