My Betta Fish

Question
Dear Jaymie,
I've written to you several times throughout the course of the summer and this year about my betta fish and the various other fish living in my dorm room. I just wanted to start off by saying thank you SO much for all your advice regarding their health. It has been so helpful and very much appreciated.  Secondly, I would like to tell you about my little Betta fish named Benny. Benny has been with me for half a year now. He lives in a five gallon tank that gets regular water changes once every two weeks or so. I add aquarium salt and a water conditioner to make sure the Ph stays within an acceptable range and he has a little heater that keeps the water at about 79 degrees.  We went on midsemester break for the weekend and were gone for several days. I read online that Betta fish can survive without food for a week or so, so I made sure to feed him a little extra on Friday and then was absent from our dorm until Tuesday evening. My roommate fed him on Sunday evening and Monday morning for me, one pellet of Betta food each time.  When I returned to our room on Tuesday, I noticed his belly looked bloated and he was lethargic.  He still responds to my tapping on the glass of his tank and he swims around occasionally, but I am worried he might have swim bladder. Should I give him a pea tomorrow and wait to see what happens? Is there anything else I can do? He appears healthy apart from the lethargy and bloated tummy. Thanks so much for the advice!
Hope to hear from you soon!
Megan

Answer
Megan,

Yes I would fast him for 2 days and then give him a pea. I would also do a 25% water change. Make sure you do the changes weekly. You might want to up his heater a bit to 80 degrees. Other than that you got it covered. Swim bladder is also a sign of bad water so that is why I say do a change. Good luck with Benny.