Ah, see, I am not sure about Zen yet. He seems perfectly healthy, but then, so did my first betta, who died horribly two weeks after I got him. I am leery about doing anything that might be bad for my boys (either of them). Zen does have a small lump on his left side, back near his tail fin, but he also has a small indentation on the other side, so I'm thinking it might be a slight deformity. He is perfectly active and eating normally.
You think it's alright to clean it with bleach and then run water through it with extra dechlorinator? I was thinking maybe vinegar, since it's a bit milder. Hm...