I think something is wrong with my betta

Question
Chris,

I just got a betta this Sunday( just 3 days ago).  At the pet shop they said all I needed for him was a betta cove(about a half gallon plastic bowl with gravel and a silk plant).  When I brought him home I washed the cove, gravel, and plant.  Then I put the water conditioner in the tap water and let it sit next to the container he was in for about two hours.  I took him out using a fish net and put him in the new water(his old water was very blue).  For the first few days everything seemed fine, but now the water is turning brown and he has brown stuff on his body and fins.  What am I doing wrong?

Answer
Hi Cassi;

Change his water right away. Betta tanks that are under a gallon need to be cleaned twice a week. He may have finrot related to overfeeding. We all overfeed sometimes and it is common in small betta tanks. Once you get his water clean, feed only 4 pellets of food every day. Sometimes bettas need medication for finrot, but be sure what it is before you try that. Most of the time just cleaning more often will heal him.

Here is a list of websites about the care of bettas and what to look for when they seem sick;

http://www.mushi.petfish.net/bettadisease.html
http://www.klsnet.com/betta.html
http://www.healthybetta.com/Care/page1-general.htm
http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_diseases.htm
http://groups.msn.com/TheBettaObsession/newtobettasthisisforyou.msnw

I hope he feels better soon......

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins