Sick betta: lethargic, transparent

Question
My daughter has a redish female betta in a 5 gallon tank with two small plants and two small ghost shrimp. She's been largely a very healthy fish. In the last month, her fins started looking yucky and she became lethargic and lost her appetite. She'd just lie at the bottom and there were several times I thought she'd died she was so still, just lying on top of her little cave. My husband did a tank clean and water change. I've been adding melafix to her tank daily. She's now swimming around and eating again, but I've noticed that her actual body has become transparent in the last couple days. I'm worried about her. What should I be doing?

Answer
Hi Mariann,
Melafix is too strong a medication for Bettas.  When using Melafix, we must use half the medication required.  Bettafix has the same medication as Melafix, but it is made especially for bettas.  Melafix can kill a betta.  
Change all of her water again to remove any trace of Melafix.
Try feeding her a frozen cooked pea with the outer layer removed.  Cut the pea into small pieces, and feed this to her one at a time, making sure they do not fall to the bottom of her tank.  She should be fed one pea a week, and on the day you feed her the pea, feed her nothing else.  This is to help her clean out her system.  Bettas are prone to constipation, and constipation leads to Swim Bladder Disease.
Vary her diet.  Here is a list of food which is good for bettas.

Daphnia
Betta Pellets
Betta Flakes
Plankton flakes
Bloodworms
Glassworms
Mealworms
Brine Shrimp
All of these foods have vitamins the betta needs to be healthy.  Feed her 2-3 times a day in small amounts.  Her tummy is the size of her eye, so we must be careful when feeding her.  Example:  2 pellets for one meal or 2 flakes for one meal.

For now the most important thing you must do, is a complete water change using a good conditioner such as "Stress Coat"
If in a few days she still looks sick, has frayed fins, please write back to me, and I will try to do my best to help you.   Do not use Melafix.

Lynda