Betta Fish Is Sick Please Help

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have a red betta i keep in a a farely large tank, with heater and a small filter. I thought it was dropsies because his stomach got really large. But his scales seem to okay... They don't seem to be sticking out or anything. but o do notice that around his belly, there seems to be like open pores or something... umm i was just wondering how do i know if its dropsies or internal parasite... Oh, when his stomach gets big he seems to flope around on top of the water... Could it be swim bladder? It seems to me everytime i feed him (only 1 pellet a day) he gets a big belly. i use to feed him two pellets a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. On weekends i feed him frozen blood worms (3 of them) and a pea on sunday. Monday i let him fast... then continue the cycle. Please email me back... and thank you for your time.

ANSWER: Hello,
I would have to see him if possible.  Is it possible to for you to send me a picture of your Betta?   The day you feed him the pea, is the day he should fast.  If you make him fast on Monday, give him the pea on Monday.  The pea should be a cooked frozen pea, with the first layer removed.   The pea should not be given with other food.  This is so that he can clean out his system.  If he had Dropsy, you would know as his scales would be risen.  Check your water for ammonia, and nitrates, and check to see if he wastes.  How warm is his water?  It is very hard for me to diagnose the problem.  I would need more information.  I don't like to medicate a fish when I am not sure of what is wrong.  Write back to me, and tell me if he has clamped fins...or are they ragged?  Anything that you see on your fish, tell me.  
Lynda

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

QUESTION: Hi thanks a lot for replying. Ummm he has clamped fins and seems to have white layer under his mouth (chin area) has a bloated belly, flops around on the surface after feedings umm, seems to have fin rot at the end of his tail. Nowadays i add Fungus eliminator so his bloating has come down, but he only sits at the bottom and doesn't do much. Should i treat him for bacteria infection? what are some signs of internal parasites. How would i know if it is dropsies? Sorry if i repeated anything. an Thanks alot again. P.S. i feed a pea and fast for the rest of the day... recently i've only been feeding him once a day with a pellet and on sunday i fast and feed him a pea. Thanks again

Answer
Your Betta seems to have more than one disease.  Change all his water, use a good water conditioner, and treat him with coppersafe, and maracyn 2 combined.  Clamped fin indicate parasites, and he seems to have fungus too.  These diseases are due to poor water conditions, and poor diet.

Here is some information on the Betta that you may find helpful:

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 etc, is cruel.  The Betta is one of the most mistreated fish on the market.
They need a heated tank.  Temperature should be 78-80-82 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 kill 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.
They need a varied diet. This is very important.  Betta pellets one day, Betta Flakes the next, Daphnia the next, and bloodworms should be given once a week as a treat.
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 two or three 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 friends 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