Betas that struggle to swim

Question
I have 4 Beta's now and 2 out of the 4 seem to struggle to swim.  One has not been "normal" for several months.  They lay at the bottom or position themselves closer to the top in the plants.  They will push themselves to the top to eat and then fall to the bottom.  Does this mean that they are getting old and is this common?  I feel bad for them and don't know if they are suffering.  I have another Beta that is bloated around the gill area and has been for a long time.  He eats normally, but it seems to be getting bigger.  Should I be concerned?

Answer
Hi Caren;

Sounds like the struggling bettas have swim bladder problems and the other could be constipated or have an infection of some kind. These are all serious conditions so they need treatment right away. Here is a list of pages to look through to see what may be going on;

http://www.petfish.net/articles/Bettas/swimbladder_betta.php
http://www.petfish.net/articles/Bettas/constipation.php
http://www.petfish.net/articles/Bettas/bettadisease.php
http://www.healthybetta.com/illcure.html
http://www.siamsbestbettas.com/diseases.html

I hope they feel better soon.....

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins