my betta wont eat a cooked pea

Question
QUESTION: My betta hasn't eaten in two days he just ignores his food. He is floating kind of sideways at the top of his bowl and only swims around when prompted. His tummy looks a little bloated. I read on the Internet feeding him a cooked pea can help him and i tried it but he is not interested. He just swims away from it. Please help!

Sincerely,   Maryn

ANSWER: Hi Maryn,
Your betta has Swim Bladder Disease which is caused by constipation.  Constipation is due to poor diet, and overfeeding.  A betta should have variation in food, such as betta pellets, betta flakes, daphnia, bloodworms, glassworms, mealworms, plankton flakes, and brine shrimp.  He should have 2-3 small meals a day...example: 2 pellets, or 2 flakes for one meal.  We must always remember that his tummy is the size of his eye when feeding him.  He should have one cooked frozen pea a week with the outer layer removed.  The pea should be cut into small pieces, and fed your betta one piece at a time making sure he eats them. This is so he can clean out his system, and avoid SBD.  On the day you feed him the pea, feed him nothing else.
For now, since he won't eat the pea, do a complete water change using a good water conditioner such as "Stress Coat" and buy Tetracycline.  Follow the directions on the package.  Be careful not to overdose. Do not add salt to his water.
I hope the little man pulls through.
Lynda

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I did a complete water change today and put the tetracycline in his water as the directions said. Now do i need to get him to eat the pea or go back to giving him fish food? Thank you so much for your help!

Answer
Hi!
It would be good if he eats the pea, and nothing else for 24 hours.  If he refuses to eat the pea, I would not feed him anything else for 24 hours.  He must waste.  If you see that he has wasted, then you may feed him something else.  Daphnia would be my choice of food to start with because it is easy for fish to digest.  If he starts to eat, then this is a good sign, but make sure he has wasted.
Lynda