bloated and lethargic beta fish

Question
i have a betta fish that i have had for 7 months. he is in a bowl with a few rocks and no filter that i change weekly and treat with a water conditioner. he was always friendly and active with a good appetite. i feed him bettamin once a day. for the past few days, i have noticed that my betta has not had an appetite (the food has fallen to the bottom), he has faded in color, and he has very bloated area on his under belly towards the front (right where his small lower front fins are). he has been hanging around the top of the bowl most of the day, and is not very active. is there anything i can do for him? we love our fish...please advise.

thank you.  

Answer
Hi Amy,
 The first thing you need to do is to make sure that you remove any uneaten food.  If that food just sits in the bowl and rots, it will soon kill him.   I would increase his water changes to twice a week for a few weeks and see if that doesn't help.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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