betta swim bladder?

Question
dear karen, I have a 6mo betta,swims awkward,hangs at bottom,not eating well-?constipated. was feeding small pellets,was the only thing it liked.it survived swollen gills and mild fin rot after antibiotic treatment.tried the pea on a stick trick-don't think he ate it but attacked it once-maybe took apiece-didn't seem to help.now using aquarium salt in water + jade plant,and cleaning more often,though I don't keep heater on tank.any suggestions? epsom salts,antibiotics,"bettafix"--thank you

Answer
Dear Steve,
Make sure you don't feed your betta anymore of his normal pellets. Maybe try fasting him for 1 day and then give him the pea. Keep trying with the green pea for a few days. This has helped fish too numerous to count.

Also make sure his water quality is good and warm (78-80F) Small daily water changes would really help him. It would suspect the small pellets to be the reason he developed the swim bladder. It could be constipation. Be sure and watch for any betta "droppings" in the bottom of his bowl/tank to see if any blockages in his digestive system are clearing. A swollen belly also indicates constipation.

Don't give up on him! Treating bettas with swim bladder trouble takes plenty of time and patience.

Once he gets better. Try offering good variety in his diet in the form of frozen and freeze dried foods. It may even take him a while to accept these but it's very important for bettas to have this variety in their diet.

I really hope this helps!
Only my very best wishes,
Karen~