is my fish ill

Question
hello there i have a male siemese fighter ive had him for six monthes now but today ive noticed he lookes so ill hes body lookes like silvery white and hes very slugiss and did,nt look like he was moving so i gave him a little push he sort of jumped and sank to the bottem and slowely worked he way back to the top he was normaly very deep red in colour and quiet lively please help craig

Answer
Hello Craig,
Yes he does sound as though he is not feeling well. What temperature do you keep his tank at? How large is it? How much and what do you feed him? How often do you clean his tank?
All these questions factor into whether or not he is sick and if so whether or not he will make it. I need more details.
If he is in anything smaller than one gallon, I suggest buying him a larger tank straight away. Try to have him in at least two gallons of water.
His temperature should be in between 75 and 85 degrees, and not fluctuating too much, or you will need to buy him a heater. If you don't know, you'll also need to buy a thermometer so you can know.
He should only be eating betta pellets or flakes, and not tropical or goldfish flakes. All these fish have different needs, and bettas are strictly carnivores.
He should have a few small feedings a day, like a tiny pinch of flakes twice a day, or 2-3 pellets twice a day. Make sure you are not overfeeding him, or underfeeding him.
His water quality needs to be good. Your ammonia, nitrites and nitrates should read out at 0. If they are higher than 0, you need to start doing more water changes. He should have fresh, clean, dechlorinated water at least once a week.
If you notice any of these things that are different from what you have been doing, please adjust accordingly.