please help

[bankruptjojo]

my betta is sick ill explain. i put a thin 3d background as a tank divider because one of my bettas wouldnt stop flaring at the other.i drilled holes so water could flow. i noticed i missed some pices that the drill left still attached to the background maybe he ate part of the background or maybe i just over feed idk. he is defiantly constipated he has been fasting three days still hasn't pooped his belly is still a little swollen seems to possibly have swim bladder disease idk.I have tried feeding him peas and even tried a pellet he was pecking at it a lot like he really wanted it but he is having trouble eating it, seems like he cant open his mouth although I have seen him yawn a few times. He scoots around on his belly alot when he goes up for air he skims the water like he having trouble breathing then he basically falls head first down and almost falls on his side , his gills seem to be sticking out further then normal. what could this be problem be?
Ricky is pretty responsive poor guy still keeps laying to where he is looking at me and trys to wiggle.

Ricky is in a half gallon betta tank half way full inside our 20 gallon tank I have a drain to take water out and a baster to put water from the 20 gallon and fresh water in frequently and keeping the bottom clean after feeding peas.
I have been using prime, stress guard, vita- chem and very very tiny aq salt. first post on this site been on others but figured i had more bettas than any thing else so might as well come here. ill update my profile sometime soon. aslo i know all basics, tanks are cycled ext. i also have a video if someone lets me know how to post it. thank you Lee

[aqua001]

It sounds a lot like SBD. I think he might have eaten the leftover plastic but i can't be sure. continue fasting him. what temp is his tank? Low temps can stress him out and cause him not to eat. Try to get him some bloodworms or brine shrimp because they can perk up a not-eating betta fish. Pellets soaked in garlic juice may be a bit more tempting. Have you tested the water periemeters? this could be possibly stressing him out. Try Maracyen 1 and Maracyen 2 (use together) to hep the feeding problem. I am no pro but it looks like he might have a burn that spread from his fins to gills.(or it could just be me LOL.)

[bankruptjojo]

ok thanks for advice he has responded to everything the same way peas, pellets, bloodworms. he attacks them pecking at them but not eating them whole like his mouth cant open but iv seen him yawn. the water in my 20g is all fine 0,0,10 ph 7.6 im also adding freshwater with a temp of 80f same as my 20g. i think the burn your talking about is his fins clamped to his body. his body actually looks pretty good except the lil bit of fin rot.

[xXGalaxyXx]

Epsom salt may help with the constipation. Use only the plain, fragrance free epsom salt - it's available at most drug stores. I believe the dosage is 2 tbsp per gallon, and be sure to do daily 100% water changes.
Peas may not help much for your betta. Betta's are carnivores, and while they can handle eating the pea it probably isn't the best for their health. That method generally has a better effect on omnivores and herbivores.

[bankruptjojo]

ok ill go look for some epsom salt tommrow. so i put 2tbsp per gallon for how long the a 100% water change of normal water? be very specific if you could never used epsom salt. what is the best to feed him pellets or BW? even though it seems he cant eat....

[xXGalaxyXx]

Two tbsp per gallon, with daily 100% water changes and adding the epsom salt again with each change until you see improvement. I'd also not recommend you continue the treatment for any longer than two weeks - if he's not improving by then it's probably time to try something else.
And I would probably feed him as little as possible during the treatment to prevent the bloat from worsening, but if you must feed him something definitely go with pellets. Freeze dried blood worms (which I'm assuming is what you're using - disregard this if you're talking about live or frozen ones) hardly have any nutritional values that meet a betta's standards and should only be fed as a treat - any more than once a week and you're just begging for him to get bloated again.

[bankruptjojo]

ok well i have him in that lil container witch i think is a 1/2 gallon and its only half full. so do i need to pull him out of the container every time or do you have a better way? just being safe.

[bankruptjojo]

i looked on the internet investigating Epson salt. and i dont want to discredit what your telling me but alot of people say its very stressful for them and to only do it for 20min and then put them back in normal water. just what i have read. can anyone else give a opinion? and thanks for all your help galaxy!