sick betta?or getting old?

Question
Hi. I asked Amber Worman this question but she was not able to answer. I hope you can help me...
My betta has been feelling ill for about 2 months (or more). I asked allexperts a question about a month ago and did what the expert told me and he got a little better(atleast he ate a little and his fins weren't clamped anymore).  Now he seems worse again. I am convinced he has swim bladder disorder. It was probably my fault. I was feeding him 6 pellets twice a day per the instructions. The first time I noticed him feeling bad I started to research and found that you aren't supposed to listen to the instructions, go figure. He stopped eating and pooping. When he started getting better he ate sparingly but still no poop. He either sits at the top of his artificial plant so he can be near the top of the water to get air or he sits at the bottom of the tank, usually on his side, and then rushes to the top to breathe. He seems to be breathing more rapidly than usual. It's hard for him to swim. When he DOES swim around(rarely), his body will turn him sideways when he stops swimming-he HATES that so he'll kind of push off to continue swimming. I guess this is why he lays at the top or bottom. I tried to give him a pea and he ate one or two little tiny pieces, but still no poop! He tries to eat his pellets but spits them out. I tried giving him some flakes because I read the pellets can be too hard on the bladder, but he doesn't like them(he never did). He is in a 1 gallon tank and was very happy and active before all of this. I change his water atleast once a week (i've lowered the water level so he can breathe easier), add Stress Coat, a pinch of aquarium salt, and his water temp stays around 78/79 degrees(i live in FL). The ph is usually 7.8. I tried putting ph down in his tank but you can only add 1 drop every 24 hours so it doesn't seem to get down enough by the time I have to change his water again. Am I doing that right??? Also, his fins are clamped alot again so I know he's feeling bad poor guy. We miss our fun loving Nemo who loves to swim around! Is he near the end of his life? We've had him about 8 months or so but we bought him from Wal-Mart and he didn't seem very small when we got him...first time fish owner, can you tell? Any insight on what may be wrong with him??? Why isn't he pooping and how can he possibly go so long without doing it? Sometimes I notice him open his mouth really wide, as if stretching it out. It's probably just a normal thing? thought I'd throw that it in there. I'd appreciate any help you can give me. sorry so long but wanted to give you all the details. thanks!!!


Answer
Hi Jacci,
  You've given me a very thorough picture of the situation which is very helpful, unfortunately, I don't see anything that you are doing wrong.  

It sounds like he is getting old.  If he had a swim bladder disorder he would have a lot of difficulty staying upright and would tend to float upside down, which doesn't seem to be the case.  

 Opening his mouth really wide (yawning) is a normal thing for a fish   to do.

 I assume that you never use any soap or detergent anywhere near his tank, right?

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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