Beta fish with brown gills

Question
I had one beta fish for 8 months. He lived in a small bowl for a few months, and then I put him in a larger bowl holding over one gallon of water with a plant on top for the remaining 5 months of his life.  I changed the water in his plant bowl about every 3 weeks.  He ate the plant, but I still fed him food around once a week, which he never ate.  I went on vacation for a month, and my parents kept him.  When I got him back, I immediately changed his water and I noticed that he was slow, very pale on one side, had a growth below his mouth, and seemed to really labor when he breathed.  After I changed his water, the growth significantly shrunk, and his color came back within a few hours, but I then noticed that his head was dark, there were brown spots around his gills, and he was really struggling to breath.  He died sometime during the night.  I was very sad to lose him, and I was wondering if there is anything I can do to prevent the same thing from happening again, when I get a new beta.  Also, if I see a beta getting a little sick, is there anything I can do to save it.
Thank you very much for your help.  

Answer
Hi Jen;

Poor guy. Someone gave you some very bad advice when you got him. I'm so sorry you didn't get the right information to keep him healthy. It is all too common these days. Many places where these poor little fish are sold are stores with sales people who know nothing about fish and even less about bettas.

Betta tanks or bowls need their water changed every week and need to be fed every day. They also need temperatures in the high 70's to thrive and be able to eat properly. Here are some sites that will help you know how to keep your next one.

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/anabantids2/p/betta.htm
http://www.healthybetta.com/
http://www.bettatalk.com/
http://americanfishguy.tripod.com/bettacare.html
http://groups.msn.com/TheBettaObsession/newtobettasthisisforyou.msnw

Followups Welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

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