weather loach explosion???

Question
Hi, yesterday I happened to glance into my aquarium, and my 3 yr old weather loach was acting funny... almost seeming to be in convulsions. Then all of the sudden his abdomen seemed to rupture, releasing bubbles and a white cloud of... well I just don't know, but it was quite thick before it dissipated. Then he seemed fine. Late last night though, I went to look at him and he was acting very agressive, chasing and ramming other fish, and banging into ornaments and the aquarium sides. He also kept going to the top of the water, gulping air, and as soon as he'd gulp it, it would escape out a 1 cm long hole in his abdomen. Whats going on with him? He has never displayed this kind of behavior before!

Answer
Hey Trina,

Hey! Congratz on his recovery! Keep in mind, by adding another loach, you'll need to add another plant or two. The reason this one gulps air at the surface is that he's probably not getting enough O2 per breath underwater. So, by adding a nice set of java ferns, a bundle of hornwort, elodea, or a nice potted plant or two, you'll increase the O2, as well as discourage excessive algae growth. However, with plants, you really need to get PlantGro, and add a capful once every 8-10 days or so. Plants consume so much of the various toxins in our tanks, that it's amazing so few use live ones!

Best of luck!