What's wrong with my fish now?...

[Loveless]

Housing
What size is your tank? 10 gallon, has about 6 gallons right now
What temperature is your tank? 78
Does your tank have a filter? yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Is your tank heated? yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Omega One Betta Buffet Pellets, occasional bloodworms
How often do you feed your betta fish? Twice a day, 2 pellets a day, 6 days a week

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Once a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 30%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Prime

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Curved spine
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Stopped eating, has trouble swimming, can’t stay balanced
When did you start noticing the symptoms? Late last week
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? I haven’t started any treatment.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Yes, mainly bloat. Had a nasty case of fin rot a short while ago.
How old is your fish (approximately)? I’d guess about a year



So I've had some problems with Dynamo since the beginning and it's been a bit of a learning process with him. Lately we had been doing pretty good. I thought finally I was doing something right...

Then there was something that started showing up late last week. His spine started bending out of shape and now is rather 'J' shaped. He had trouble swimming up. Now he can barely even seem to make it off the sand. He kind of just squirms from one side of the tank to the other. He still tries to come over to me but tends to give up after about an inch or two. He's not bloated at all and hasn't had any recent problems with bloat. He also stopped eating about 3 days ago.

Mom's not letting me test the water. She seems to think its pointless...

I'll try to get a picture of him if that would help...

[Sena Hansler]

A picture would be lovely, and testing the water will not be pointless! It can rule out a bunch of things.

How long have you had him? He could have come with an underlying problem.

[Loveless]

I'll get a picture soon as possible then. I know that testing the water isn't pointless, but she thinks so. I have no idea what she's done with my test kit...

I've had him since September 18th 2011. When I bought him he seemed pretty healthy...

[Sena Hansler]

Hmm ok. Have you done a water change? A water change MAY help, or it may not, but I suggest a water change anyways to see any change in the betta's appearance or behavior.

How's his poo looking? has he pooped?

[Loveless]

I did a water change this morning. There hasn't been any change yet...

last time he pooped was a couple days ago. He hasn't eaten anything after that. It was like a light brownish color.

[Sena Hansler]

As long as it wasn't stringy or broken up and white (not to be mistaken with a female's digestion of her eggs).

Considering how long you've had him, he could be about 2 years old.

[Loveless]

Sorry for not getting back on here sooner. family went out of town.

I attached two pictures of Dynamo, but I'm afraid they aren't very good...

Also, the markings on the tank is just a reflection of a towel we have placed around it.