SBD from first water change?

Question
Hi Brittany,
I got a beta last week, and am keeping him in a one gallon tank.  I did his first water change today and now he's showing signs of SBD.  He can't swim to the bottom, and is floating at the top of the tank.  Periodically, he makes a desperate, flipping attempt to get down, with no success.  I gave him purified tap water that had been conditioned for a full day and should have been around the same temperature as the water in his tank.  

He did react poorly to my attempt to get him in a net and transfer him to a small bowl during the water change.  Is it possible he damaged his swim bladder then?  If so, can it be helped?  

He was fine and building a nest earlier today, so I know this isn't a food problem - it happened as a result of the water change.

Answer
Hello Heather,
What do you mean exactly by "purified water that has been conditioned for a day"? Honestly, you just need regular tap water, and tap water dechlorinator from a pet store. That's it.
If by "for a day" you mean you let it sit for 24 hours, that doesn't really help. Supposedly the chlorine will dissipate when left to sit for 24 hours, but normally tap water also has chloramines as well, which is even more harmful to fish, and takes weeks to dissipate.
So just use normal tap water and dechlorinator/conditioner from now on.
As far as water changes go, you need to do them more often. Twice a week (about once every 4-5 days) would be best - and never less than once a week. A one gallon tank will quickly fill up with ammonia.
You can add some aquarium salt to help reduce stress and give him some electrolytes, and he should be fine once you get him into better water.