Sinking Betta

Question
QUESTION: Hello. I have two male betta splendids, separated of course, not in tanks but small bowls. One has plastic cubes in his bowl and the other has gravel. Each has a plastic plant in their bowls.
I change the water every 7-10 days, refilling with tap water and some drops of water conditioner. I feed them everyday usually 4-5  betta-pellets.
They were given to me as gift three months ago during the summer and I am quite surprised they are still alive as I have never kept fish before.  
It is autumn now and today I noticed one of my bettas lying at the bottom of the bowl in a lethargic type manner. I fed them and although he came up to the top to eat it was like he is bottom heavy, sinking. All day he just lay at the bottom on the gravel sinking and swimming around. So I put both bowls in the sun all day too try and warm up the water (which it did heat up quite well)  but it didnt make any difference too him.
Im just wondering if its the temperature dropping that is making him this way or something else?
I cleaned his bowl the day before I saw him doing the sinking thing. So thats all I can tell you.Thank you and hope to hear from you soon.

ANSWER: Hi Gemma,
From what you have told me it sounds like your Betta has Swim Bladder Disease.  Swim Bladder is caused by poor diet, and overfeeding which leads to constipation, and then SBD.  Try feeding him a frozen cooked pea.  Remove the outer layer, cut the pea into small pieces and feed the pieces one at a time to your betta making sure that the pieces don't fall to the bottom of the tank. He must waste.  Feed him nothing else for two days.  If your Betta won't eat, then you will have to treat him with an antibiotic.  Kanamycin is very good for SBD.  If you cannot find Kanamycin, buy Tetracycline, or Furan 2.  Heating his water too fast was not good for him.  When heating the betta's water, it should be done one degree every two days as heating his water too fast could cause death.
Here is some information on the Betta that may interest you:

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.
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




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

QUESTION: Hi Linda, thanks for the information. My betta is doing much better now. In regards to a tank for my two male splendids do I need a 10 gallon split tank for both of them or a 5 gallon split tank for them together? Let me know.
Thank you
Gemma

Answer
Hi Gemma,
Bettas should have different tanks.  They must never see each other as this causes them stress, and they get sick.  They need 5 gallons of water each.  If you can find a divider for a 10 gallon tank where they cannot see each other that would be great.  I do not know if they exist, but there must be something you could buy to divide them without them seeing each other.  Maybe dark plexi glass would do the trick.  Ask a Pet store manager what they have to offer, or maybe you could buy a piece at a hardware store.  It is very important that they do not see each other.
Hope this helps.
Lynda