Why a kuhli loach complicates moving day
A kuhli loach spends the daylight hours buried in substrate or threaded through decor, emerging at dusk to forage along the bottom. That hiding habit is the whole challenge of moving one: it can vanish into gravel, wedge itself inside a hollow ornament, and stay invisible while you dismantle the tank around it. Kuhlis are also easily stressed by chasing and rough netting, and their slender, eel-like bodies slip through gaps that would hold another fish. So plan the move around a patient catch, a dark and quiet journey, and a new tank that already offers cover the moment the loach is released.
In the days before the move
Stop feeding the loach the day before moving day, so the water it travels in stays cleaner on the journey. Prepare a sturdy fish bag or a lidded plastic container, plus a spare bag in case of a leak, and set aside a towel to darken the container once the fish is inside. Decide now that the loach travels in water taken from its own tank, not fresh water from a tap. Keep the filter media and some substrate from the old tank wet in tank water throughout the move, because the bacteria living on them are what keep the new setup stable for a sensitive bottom-dweller. Pack the loach last of all your fish and unpack it first at the other end.
Catching a fish that hides for a living
Lower the water level first: a half-drained tank shrinks the loach's escape routes and calms the whole process. Lift out every piece of decor slowly, and hold each piece over the tank for a few seconds before setting it aside. Kuhlis routinely hide inside hollow ornaments and holes in driftwood, and more than one has been moved accidentally inside a decoration. Shake each piece gently over a bucket of tank water so a loach that drops out lands safely. Then herd the loach into a submerged clear container, or guide it with a soft, fine net rather than chasing it through the gravel, which can scrape its underside. Before you drain the tank completely, count your loaches carefully against the number you own; if the count comes up short, sift the top of the substrate gently by hand before concluding anything, because a buried loach is easy to miss.
The journey and the first night
Seal the bag with plenty of air above the water, or snap the container lid on, and place it inside a dark box so passing light and movement do not startle the fish. Keep the box out of direct sun and away from cold drafts, and do not open it to check on the loach during the trip. At the new home, build the tank back up with its familiar substrate, decor and hiding caves before the loach goes in, and position at least one cave near where you will release it. Float the bag to equalise the temperature, then release the loach close to cover with the tank lights off. Leave food until the following day. A settled kuhli resumes its evening foraging along the bottom within a day or two; one that lies pressed and motionless in the open at midday may be struggling, so check the temperature and water conditions, and if it still refuses food after several days, ask your vet for advice. Keeping the loach's tank details - substrate type, favourite foods, recent water readings - together in its KinsLe Pet Passport means whoever helps you on moving day is working from the same notes you are.