5 year old Beta

Question
My beta is at least 5 years old (we suspect older) and like the energizer bunny just seems to keep on going. Lately he has not been looking very good. He swims sideways and spends a lot of time hiding on the bottom of his bowl. Yet he anxiously comes to the top for food. His water is getting very low but I'm afraid that changing it will be too stressful for him. The last few weeks I've taken to just adding new water rather than getting rid of any. But that will probably result in waste build-up. What is the best way to handle this situation and is there a cure for his swimming problem?

Answer
Hi Ilene,
  The water change shouldn't hurt him at all and in fact, might help him quite a bit.  Change about 20% at a time. That said, 5 years is a VERY VERY long time for a betta to live, so he may just be getting
to the end of the road.  Most only live 1-2 years.  A 2 year old betta is old.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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