Betta on Ampicillin

Question
Hi Lynda,
I have been searching site for help for my question.  I have a male betta in a 5 gallon heated/filtered tank.  He has been treated with Ampicillin now for 7 days and shows no improvement if not getting worse.  His eye has not gone down at all and he just floats around on top...his fins are now looking crinkled on the ends.  I have been adding a new dose after a partial water change and keeping water very clean. The temperature is a steady 80.  Should I change to Kanamycin or just take him out of the medication with some fresh water for a break?  He is 2 years old...no other signs of disease.

Answer
Hi Susan,
It is so sad to see Bettas like this.  Remove him from the medication as it is not helping him.  Clean his tank, and put him back in normal water.  If he is constipated, try the pea treatment.  Your cook a frozen pea until it is well cooked, and tender.  Remove the outer layer, and cut it into tiny pieces.  Feed this to your betta, one piece at a time.  Hopefully he will eat this, and clean out his system.  If he is still eating buy him medicated food for bacterial infections.  Popeye is usually caused by bad water conditions.  It is so important to keep ammonia out of the water, and this is done by keeping our tanks clean, and making water changes every week, or more if necessary.  Popeye may be caused by a poor diet...it could be the result of stress, or it may be associated with Dropsy.  
Unfortunately, seeing as Ampicillin didn't help, I doubt that any other antibiotic will help him at this stage.
Hopefully the medicated food will help.
Lynda