Betta fish - sick?

Question
I'm a college student and I have a betta fish in a 1/2 gallon plastic tank in my room. I've had him since this past January and he's been very healthy. He has no trouble travelling the 3 hours home and back every now and then (only about 3 times so far). I take him out and completely clean the tank about every other week and I feed him about 7-8 dried bloodworms a day. He's been great so far, active now and then, flaring when provoked, etc. However, for the past day or so he's been VERY lethargic, staying at the top of the tank, sometimes even laying on his side and floating. He doesn't eat nearly as much food as he used to and he generally just seems unhealthy. Any ideas what may be wrong with him or what I may do to help?! Thank you!

Answer
Hi Melissa,
Your little friend is showing symptoms of Swim Bladder Disease.  This disease is due to poor diet, and overfeeding which leads to constipation.  Try feeding him a cooked frozen pea.  Remove the outer layer, and cut the pea into tiny pieces.  Feed the pieces to your betta one piece at a time making sure he eats it, and that it does not fall to the bottom of the tank.  Do a complete water change, using a good water conditioner, and feed him nothing else for 2 days.  Hopefully the pea should help him clean out his system.  If he refuses to eat the pea, and remains constipated, you will have to treat him with an antibiotic.  "Kanamycin" is very good for Swim Bladder Disease, but hard to find.  If you cannot find it, buy "Tetracycline" or "Furan-2."  Do not wait, as SBD can lead to Dropsy to which there is no cure.  Do not add aquarium salt to his water at this time.

I realize that you probably do not have enough room to house a betta the way it should be, but here is some information that will help you understand the betta better.

Bettas should be kept in 5 gallon tanks, and there water should be around 78-80 degrees.  When bringing home a betta, we all know that the little sadistic cups they are kept in, are not heated, so we put the betta in unheated water, around the temperature he came in.  Then we heat his water slowly, very very slowly, ONE degree every two days as bringing up their temperature too fast could cause death.  Adding a teaspoon of undiluted aquarium salt to his water helps with stress, and parasites.  (One teaspoon to five gallons of water)  In his habitat the betta may live in shallow waters, but he has lots of room to swim.  Small tanks, bowls, vases, and mirrored tanks are all money making machines, and not suited for the betta.  Vendors do not care, as long as they sell.  They are there to make a buck, and this is all that matters to them.  Bettas kept in small containers will get sick, and their lives are cut short.  They are intelligent little beings, and should not be treated this way.  Unfortunately, their are no laws to protect fish, and not much good information on how the betta should be kept.
Bettas should have varied diets.  Betta Pellets, Betta Flakes, Bloodworms, Glassworms, Plankton Flakes, brine shrimp, and one frozen pea a week.  One day you feed him pellets the next flakes, and so on.  He must be fed in small quantities 2-3 times a day.  Example:  2 pellets for one meal, or 2 flakes for one meal.  Their tummy is the size of his eye, and we must always remember this when feeding them.  I hope this information helps, and if you have any other questions regarding your little friend please do not hesitate to write me.  I have bred bettas, love them, and know how attached we are to them.
Lynda