handling betta with fishnet

Question
QUESTION: Hello,
I have a question about the best way to get my betta out of his bowl for water changes. His bowl is not really big, 5 liters I think, so I change the water every 5 days. But every time I try to get him out to thoroughly clean the bowl, he literally freaks out and we both get really stressed. I tried using a soft net but he swims furiously, or pouring the water of the bowl out so he'd gently fall in the net, but he swims against current and ends up falling with the gravel... I have the traditional bowl with a narrow opening on top so he won't jump out.

I have a had my betta for about three months and I like him very much. I think he's happy because he's active, colourful and blows bubble nests weekly. So I'd like to reduce stress to keep him that way. Any tips?

thanks! Emma

ANSWER: Hello Emma!

No, no, no, no, no.

Never, under any circumstances do a full tank clean....EVER! It is worse than it being left dirty.

See, there is more than just water in the tank. Special organisms build up, and these organisms can dissolve, in part, fish waste. It takes about a month or so for these organisms to build up, but when they do everything is much easier for the fish. By cleaning it, you restart these organisms.

You can use a gravel vac like the one here
http://www.jtdiscountstore.com/servlet/the-4381/LEES-GRAVEL-VAC-10,/Detail

Or, just take a cup and scoop out the water. Or dump it, but make sure he doesn't fall.

Change about 80% of the water every 5 days like you were. Always leave at least 15% in there. The betta will be fine in there for a couple of minutes.

And don't forget to use a good tap water conditioner like Seachem's Prime or AquaSafe.

-Nick

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Nick,
Ok, so I did all this, bought the vacuum and am changing 80% of the water
every 4-5 days. But now he has a white spot on his head, it looks like fungus.
So I got some bettafix and aquarium salt, but he goes crazy whenever I put
bettafix in the water or he sinks to the bottom. Is that a normal side effect?
I've followed the instructions carefully but it really seems to be hurting him.
And the spot is still there, fading a bit though. Have I been doing everything
wrong again?  

Answer
Is the spot elevated off of the skin?

What I mean is, does it look like a bump or more like it could be just part of the skin?

Either way, is sounds like the water you are changing may not be the same temperature as the tank water. If you have no heater in your betta tank you can just let the water sit next to the tank for 6 or more hours to get the temp exactly right.

-Nick