Betta Possibly has Worms

Question
I see you are an expert on cichlids, but since no experts on bettas are available and I'm desperate, I thought I'd give you a shot.  I have an adored betta fish and only have had him for maybe two months tops.  He's only in a one gallon goldfish bowl, but is going to be shifted to the 5 gallon tank I got for him.  Right now I do 100% water changes faithfully and have about 4-5 live plants in with him (java fern, java lace fern, 2 banana plants and an Indian almond leave).  He eats a varied diet - Hikari Bio-Gold pellets, Tetra pellets, Omega One flakes, freeze dried bloodworms, and on occasions I've given him live brine shrimp from pet store (in moderation).  Anyway first I noticed a string of poop hanging on him for a long time.  It finally fell off (although I didn't see it fall).  Then I saw what seemed to be a white stringy poo hanging on.  Now I see what looks to be a red thread hanging down there, but since his fins are red and feathery, I'm unsure.  I can't seem to tell exactly where it's coming from.  I ordered Paracid-D.  I wasn't sure if it was safe to use in such a small tank on his food or should I move him to a 3 gallon tank I have (from friend) and use aerator???  I'm sure he's already stressed out by my shining a flashlight in on him.  He hangs out a lot under his bubble nest and the almond leaf.  His appetite is normal.  I gave him two peas the other day, hoping he'd expel something.  Any advice you might have would be helpful.  I thought his underside showed a roundish white/red opening.  Is that the anus?  He shows no loss of color and still flares if I put something odd against the tank.  Thanks for help in advance.

Answer
Hi Donna,
 The stringy white feces strongly indicate an intestinal infection.  I would keep feeding him the peas; people say that they help clean out the digestive tract and they can't hurt him.

 Getting him into a larger tank would be a good idea.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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