Betta Trouble

Question
hi,(3gal tank,heater,filter)
Could you help me with my betta?I was about to change his water and then noticed that he has what i think is swim bladder disese.He'll try really hard to smim to the bottom,finaly get there,but then float right back up to the surface.Ivv been trying to keep his room as dark as possible.(he's very active,but when i leave and turn out the light,he usally settels down and "rest")
Ivv had a betta with swim bladder disease before,but dont know if this is actually it.(My betta before floated on his side)i treated it with a dissolvable taplet,and he recoverd fine.
Shoudld i go ahead and change his water(i have to rinse his rocks and plant because some fugus like stuff is growing on them,so ill have to put him in a one gal bowl for a little while)or will that be to stressfull?
Please help!!

Thanks a bunch,
Chris  

Answer
Hi Chris;

It does sound like a swim bladder issue. It may have been brought on by constipation. Change his water right away and clean out the rocks. The white junk in the bottom is a fungus growing on leftover food. It means he has either been overfed or he has stopped eating as much as usual.

To help him get his digestion working again, don't feed him any food at all for 2 days. This "fasting" will help clear his intestines. After the 2 days of fasting, feed him only cooked and peeled green peas in tiny chunks. You can put it on the end of a toothpick to get it close to his mouth if it drops to the bottom too quickly. The peas act as a laxative to break up the constipation. Net out any leftovers so they don't pollute the tank.

It is okay to put him in a small container while you change the water. Just don't leave him very long or his water temperature will drop in the smaller container and he could go into shock when you put him back in his regular tank.

Here is a good article about swim bladder issues;

http://www.petfish.net/kb/entry/12/338/

I hope he feels better soon.....

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins