Betta Ill : The Swelling Returns

[dorecs]

Hi,
Looks like my betta is sick again,
 
Last time I was fairly sure it was swim bladder disease and went for the pea method and it cleared up pretty quick,
 
Now the betta has similar swelling around the belly area and a redness on one of the gills,
 
I'm starting to suspect its the food as every time he is fed the symptoms come back and he floats up to the top and stays still,
I feed him with normal fish food flakes,
I also try frozen bloodworms occasionally which also have the same effect,
 
Either the problem is with the betta itself or I feed to much?
Flake wise I feed him about 2 flakes the size of a bread crumb and with worms maybe 1 worm cut into small lengths.
He actually eats less than my Neon Tetra's as he is so slow compared to them

 
The pic is not my betta, but the redness is almost identical (just a little darker) than mine.
 
Water wise, I don't have a testing kit but my neons are bright and perky and they usually pale when the water needs a change.
Atm I change 30% water change and siphon gravel every week.
 
Any suggestions?
Should I feed every few days?
Buy different foods?
 
Thanks,
 
 
Edit: Just noticed some discoloration of the fins that go vertically down from the bottom of his body: They are turning pale brown from the body outwards, they were electric blue to begin with :s  

 

[GuppyGirl20]

Well I can tell you right now the diet is not very good. Idk if that could be the problem but it definitely doesn't help which can cause more cases of swim bladder. Switch the food around. Give him mostly frozen blood worm then flakes occasionally. You should also get one more food item of high quality to feed him (like frozen or live brine shrimp or daphina) [this was the advice I received from the lovely people of the forum. I actually only have one type of frozen food for my betta because the LFS I went to didn't have much of a variety but it's a variety pack so It's not so bad since it's got a mixture of blood worms, brine shrimp, and daphina, along with some veggies (which isn't what bettas eat but it's all they really had) but I am in the process of culturing mosquito larvae for him to eat.]
Hmmmm if it still happens when he eats the blood worms maybe try a different brand because that's really strange. My thinking is to fast him for a couple days to see if the swelling goes down before trying anything. Also maybe see if there's a common ingredient in the foods?? Idk if fish can be allergic to stuff?? I hope someone more experienced can come along and be more helpful and I hoped I've helped at least a tiny bit. 
Best wishes.

 

[bluesword23516]

Flakes cause betta fish to bloat.  I feed mine betta pellets and sometimes I will drop a few frogs pellets that sink to give her something to look for.  I only give frog pellets once every 1-2 weeks and only one. 

 

[Mamashack]

I give mine 3 soaked betta pellets a day with one fast day a week whilst he is growing.
The fish's gills in the photo certainly look very sore - are you sure your water quality is good? It's really difficult to know without doing water tests. If you have problems (as now) it helps us to help you if you can tell us what the water parameters are like.
What was the picture for - did it say what the problem was with the betta in the photo?

 

[dorecs]

I give mine 3 soaked betta pellets a day with one fast day a week whilst he is growing.
The fish's gills in the photo certainly look very sore - are you sure your water quality is good? It's really difficult to know without doing water tests. If you have problems (as now) it helps us to help you if you can tell us what the water parameters are like.
What was the picture for - did it say what the problem was with the betta in the photo?

 
Looked the picture up, a Betta owner posted it with the caption she has a deep red ventral fins, red stripes on her gills and a slight red wash to her anal fin.
Does she think that the redness is normal coloration?!

 

[Mamashack]

Right! Was hoping it might give us a clue!
It's belly looks a bit concave too like it's underfed or ill - I know this isn't yours.
Any chance you can get a picture of yours on here?

 

[dorecs]

Here he is:
The swelling has subsided a little overnight.
The picture with no redness is from a few weeks ago, you can see the difference.
There's no sign of any problems on his other side though,
Thanks

Right! Was hoping it might give us a clue!
It's belly looks a bit concave too like it's underfed or ill - I know this isn't yours.
Any chance you can get a picture of yours on here?

Not a great pic, but this is his other side, no redness.

Top 2 : just now, left side
Bottom Left: 2-3 weeks ago
Bottom Right: just now, right side

 

[Mamashack]

Just keep the water clean (and invest in some decent water tests so that you can be sure of the water quality)
You could add some Indian Almond Leaf (IAL) as this is meant to be soothing and aid healing. It can be added as the leaf or as the leaf extract.
With the actual leaf it leaches out tannins that make the water go brownish or if you prefer clear water try the extract (e.g. Easy Life Catappa X)

 

[dorecs]

Thanks, seeing as i've added two new live plants and a snail recently there may have been an ammonia/nitrite/ate spike. I'll stay at once a week but do 50-60% water change. I'll have a look into this IAL, 
Thanks for the help