Beta Help

Question
Hello

I have a two year old male beta fish. This passed time I was cleaning his tank I forgot to treat the tap water with the water conditioning drops I have. The next day, my fish was at the bottom of the tank on his side breathing (even thought he was dead at first). This was on Thursday (it is now the following Monday). As soon as I saw him at the bottom of the tank and realized I had forgotten the drops, I pulled him out of that tank and put him in new, treated water.  I'm not sure what's wrong with him or what I should do. Once in awhile he works up enough energy to get to the top and seems as though he's trying to jump out of the tank. I thought he was going to die for sure that same day, but days later he is still in the same condition. He hasn't eaten since then since he can't get to the top to get the food. I'm thinking of putting a dissolvable food (the kind that lasts a few days for when you go on vacation, etc.) in the tank so he will get nutrients from the water. Do you think this is a good idea? Any ideas about what is wrong with my fish and what I could do for him? Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

My beta is in a 2 gallon tank by himself.

Answer
First off, increase your water changes.

Start doing 50% water changes every other day for a little (treat the water). But try to stress as little as possible while you are doing this.

No, those food blocks are useless. They actually hurt the fish by causing massive pH swings and nitrate spikes. You could try using live or frozen foods though to entice him to eat.

-Nick