Betta Has Swollen Gills

[BlackBettaFish]

I don't know much about betta fish keeping, but i have had my betta for about 5 months now. Today i noticed that his gills don't close properly. Their tips are white and there's some of his gills spilling out of his gill cover. He also starts "coughing" sometimes. He doesn't look ill, he is active and swims around most of the day. If you want details, his tank is 5 gallons and is filtered and heated. I do 10% water changes every 2 weeks.  

 

[Ch4rlie]

Welcome to the forum!

First off, 10% every two weeks is not enough am afraid

You'll need to start doing much larger water changes every week. Would do 50% water change is week is more appropriate.

Water issues are the main causes of illnesses in fish so it's important to keep water as clean as you can, especially with Betta as they are more prone to such things as well as fin rot.

Have a read of this article, good information.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/423364-betta-splendens-caresheet/

 

[Wildbetta]

Can you get a picture of the issue?  That would help much more than a description to determine what might be ailing him.  I do agree with Ch4 on the amount of water to be changed.  10% every 2 weeks is a bit small even for a single betta.  I recommend no less than 25% every week for the best water quality.