MY FISH IS ACTING REALLY WEIRD HELP!!!!

Question
My fish I belive has the swim bladder disease because it is floating on at the top of the bowl and has a hard time swimming in a straight line and also lies on it's side when he stops swimming. I've tried the peas and it seemed to help the one but the not the other. What can I do for the other one and what other veggies can I give my fish instead of the flakes cause they are obviously not working? And what does it mean when the gills are blood red?

Answer
Blood red gills is a sign of a gill infection. Its very good you caught that. Gill infections can go unnoticed for a long time and sometime be fatal. Go to your pet store and buy some Maracyn tablets. If you have a tank smaller than 10 gallons you are going to have to cut the tablets according to your tank size. (PLEASE pay attention to the dose instructions) Maracyn is strong, so be careful how much you give. In addition to the medication, a small heater to keep the water warm is also a good idea. And it never hurts to add aquarium salt when your medicating a sick fish. Aquarium salt will stay in the water as long as you don't do a 100% water change so you don't need to add more.

As for the swim bladder problem, if both your fish seem to have come down with this, it sounds like you might be over-feeding them. I usually feed my guy 3 pellets every other day. A betta's stomach is only as big as his eye! I'd stop with the peas and the food for a few days and see if that helps. Betta's can go without food for a while, and it might just be he needs time to pass his food. Also, you might need to change the water more frequently. How often do you usually do a water change? You'd be surprised at the amount of diseases that can be prevented with clean water.

Sometimes a swim bladder disorder is not caused by constipation but by trauma, bacteria infection or virus. if he's having a hard time getting to the surface of the water, lower the water level for him. You might not be able to fix his swim bladder problem, but I've heard of many Betta's who have lived for months even though it looks severe, if theres no bacterial or viral cause, it looks worse than it really is. You'll just have to cut down on his feeding.