Betta Fish May be Sink?

Question
Hi Lynda,

I had a question about my Betta.  I have had him for two years now and I was
reading what you were telling another lady about feeding them the pea for
constipation.  I have him in a small bowl, I didn't know otherwise but we
change his water weekly.  He has been fine till a day ago when we found him
floating on his side and seemed to be trying to get air, so we changed his
water (and have kept him in the same place for a year now, in the kitchen
away for stoves and heat,  in a constant area).  I am trying to determine if he
has swim bladder disease and if you could give me another information.  His
stomach is bloated looking and he does seem a little whiter than usual, but he
is not eating the pea pieces we gave him.  Since he was floating on his side
we thought maybe he wasn't getting enough oxygen, but his water has been
changed in distilled and we did give him QuICK Cure for ICK but nothing has
seemed to change.  Anything would be great.

Thank you

Answer
Hi Libby,
Quick Cure will not cure Swim Bladder Disease.  He will need a good antibiotic such as Kanamycin which is very good for SBD.  If you cannot find it, then buy "Tetracycline" or "Furan 2."  From your description, your betta has SBD.  When caught in time, this disease is curable.  Do not let it linger on, an it may cause other diseases which are hard to cure.

Here is some information on Bettas that you may find interesting:

Bettas need 5 gallons of water or more to be healthy, and happy.
In their habitat the betta may live in shallow waters, but they have lots of room to swim.  
Keeping Bettas in small bowls, containers, vases, mirror tanks etc, is cruel.  The Betta is one of the most mistreated fish on the market, through no fault of the buyer, but the vendor who is there to sell, and who will say anything just to make a buck!
They need a heated tank.  Temperature should be 80 degrees.  They are tropical fish, and are cold under this temperature.  Cold bettas get sick, are miserable, and live unhappy lives. ( Always remember  when heating a tank, do this very very slowly..1 (one) degree every two days, as bringing up the temperature too fast would cause death to your Betta.)  The temperature should always be stable.  Fluctuating temperature is very bad for bettas, and any other fish.  
They should have a silk plant in their tanks, so that they can rest on the leaves  They also need a little tunnel or some knick knack that they can go through.   One teaspoon to five gallons of diluted aquarium salt may be added to his water, when a Betta is well.  
Aquarium salt helps them with stress, and helps with parasites.  However if a Betta is showing signs of a swollen tummy, salt should not be used. Do not add salt if his tummy is swollen.  Their tummy is located just beneath his chin.  
They need a varied diet. This is very important.  Betta pellets one day, Betta Flakes the next, Daphnia the next, Glassworms the next, mealworms the next, plankton flakes, and bloodworms.  The more you vary, the healthier he will be.
He should be given one well cooked frozen cooked pea a week, and on the day you give him the pea, he should fast.    
A betta is prone to constipation, and constipation leads to Swim Bladder Disease.  A frozen cooked pea a week keeps them from getting constipated.  Always remove the outer layer of the pea, and cut it into small pieces, feeding it to your betta one piece at a time.
They should have 2-3 small meals a day, and not one big meal.  We must remember that their tummy is the size of their eye.
Example:  2 pellets for one meal.
Water changes are very important.  Water changes must be made every week without fail with a good water conditioner such as Aqua Safe or Stress Coat.  There is also a conditioner made especially for bettas.  If you do not have a filter, change all the water in his tank weekly.
Never put two bettas in the same tank, they will kill each other...male or female.  The Betta male is a loner.  Females can be kept together in a big enough tank, but they are also aggressive towards each other, and the tank should be at least 30 gallons with many hiding places.
When treated well, a betta can live up to 8 years, if you buy him when he is very young.  (Unfortunately we do not know their age when we buy them at the Pet Store which is why some bettas die three or four years after we have bought them.)
He's an intelligent little fish, and should be treated with kindness.
Too many vendors know nothing about the betta, and don't care...so don't give good information on how to keep them.
They are there to sell, and will say anything just to make a buck.  They send you home with your bought betta, telling you a small bowl is perfect, and bloodworms!  The poor customer thinks he has everything he/she needs, and then the fish gets sick, money is spent to cure him, and eventually the fish dies.   
This turns my stomach over.  Unfortunately there are no laws to protect fish.  
Bettas kept in small bowls, one gallon tanks, and vases, will get sick, and are very hard to cure in such little water.  They end up dying, and
that hurts the person who has grown so attached to them.  They don't deserve to be treated this way.
This is how a Betta should be treated.  If treated this way, you will have your friend for a long long time.  I have bred them, love them, and know what is good for them.
I hope the little fellow pulls through, as I know how attached we are to our bettas.

If you have anymore questions, do not hesitate to write me.
Lynda