Different conditioner causes fish to freak?

[freeflow246]

Did a 100% water change today, and I used a different water conditioner than before. Jalen seemed fine for a while, but then he started acting weird. He hung out in the top corner of his tank, head floating, fins hanging. When I went over to get a look, he started darting around his tank like crazy for almost a full minute before sinking down and standing straight up on his tail.
He's acted like this once before, when perfume got into his tank. I knew that new conditioner could be shocking, so I had been slowly adding it to his tank with every water change. He's now in a little tubaware with his old conditioner and some methylene (sp?) blue. He will still drop onto his tail every once in a while, but he's wiggling his pectorals and coming up for air, and when I tempted him with a pellet, he gobbled it up.
I'm going to do a 60% water change, and dose the new water with the old conditioner. Why is my fishie freaking out?

[fightergirl2710]

Have you checked the expiry on your new conditioner? And how did you acclimate him?

[freeflow246]

It looks like it says 10/11, but I can't be sure because it didn't print on there right. I bought it about a month ago.
When I did the water change, I put him in a tank of his old water, scooped out half, and replaced it with the new water. He acted fine. When I put him into his tank, I made sure that the temperatures were close.
He's much better now. Still sitting in the tubaware, but swimming around and watching me. I scooped out about half of the water from his tank and replaced it with water dosed with enough stress coat for the whole tank.
He's kinda 'coughing,' but he did that after the perfume incident and he recovered, so I'm not too worried yet.

[fightergirl2710]

If there is no best before so and so months I'd throw it away. Scary!

[freeflow246]

Alright, I'll do that then. I think that there is a "best by" date, but it got messed up when it was printed on the bottle.
Is it alright to just use stress coat as a normal conditioner, even if the betta is healthy? The stress coat is easy to measure out and I don't have to shake it or anything like that. Plus, I've been adding it to his tank for about a month, so he's very used to it. I don't need to spend as long acclimating him, which is good when I'm in a rush.

[fightergirl2710]

Yep, stress coat is fine. Its a good conditioner I've heard. I just started using it. :)
If you can go to the store and ask for a refund.

[freeflow246]

I would, but I have no idea where I put the receipt. :/