sick/bloated betta fish

Question
Hi Lynda! i was hoping you could help me out with my fish. He only has slight bloating, it is a noticable bloat but no where near some pictures I've seen online.  He barely swims and moves. He however is surviving and fighting through..as he has been like this for a while now, a few months. He lately has stopped eating and seems so down. It breaks my heart! I hope he's not getting worse. I wondered if it is swim bladder failure? I've lowered the tank level and it is heated to 80 deg. Sometimes he seems okay staying near the top.. but he is always vertical in the water (mouth up, tail down) He does seem struggling with swimming, as if it takes more effort, and he rests on the plant sometimes so that he can stay close to the surface. Ive tried the peas, epsom salt, and tetracycline.  I discontinued those a while back when i didn't see results. Lately ive just been feeding him much less and not really doing much else..  Do you have any tips for me? If i should continue any of those or try something new? make him happier? Could it be something else beside swim bladder disorder? Thank you for your time

Answer
Hi Marielle,
Bettas must be treated the minute we see that something is wrong.  He appears to have Swim Bladder Disease.  The Betta is prone to this disease which begins with constipation, which is due to overfeeding, and poor diet.  He must waste, this is so important, as Swim Bladder will lead to Dropsy, and Dropsy is very hard to cure, if not impossible.  Since he will not eat, you must try to save him.  "Kanamycin" is very good for Swim Bladder, but unfortunately is sometimes hard to find.  If you cannot find this medication, try Furan-2.
He has all the symtoms of Swim Bladder Disease.  I really think that this is his problem.  Swim Bladder may attack his kidneys in the long run.  I hope this isn't the case, and that he will recover.
Lynda