sick female betta fish

Question
My betta is 2 yrs old. She was fine until thursday when she had a difficult time getting to the top of her tank. When I tried to feed her and she tried to get to the top of the tank, she just spiraled back down. She seems to be getting worse. Is there anything I can do for her?

Answer
Hello Nancy-

Aw, poor little girl!

First thing's first, do a 50-70% water change, and keep the surface low enough that she can make it to the top to breathe. Add some aquarium salt to the water, and try to get the temperature up near 80 F.

It sounds like your little girl may have a swim bladder problem.

1.) Fast your little one for at least five days.

2.) If she's improving, start adding a defrosted, frozen pea to her menu. Squeeze it out of the shell and cut it into small pieces so she can chew it up.

3.) Feed her only peas until she can swim to the surface without trouble. Then you can slowly begin feeding her pellets, but limit it to 1 or 2 a day.

4.) After she's back to normal, cut back on her food for the future. 2 pellets for breakfast and dinner should be plenty for her.

Hope this was helpful! Please write back if you have further questions!
-Amber Worman