The problem: Two weeks ago I got live black worms for Chuck (my ~5-6mo old betta) and thought they'd hide quickly. They didn't and he ate 5-10 before I put him in a time-out breeder box that I set up in the same tank. He has been in time out since then, with three 10-30 minute supervised excursions out of the box during this time period. During at least one of these he ate another worm (I've vacuumed the tank twice now to remove as many worms as possible -- population significantly decreased but not eliminated). I fed him 1/4 shelled boiled pea 1.5 weeks ago and 2 days ago; otherwise have not fed him. I've seen some feces but maybe not as much as I'd expect and his abdomen still looks distended. He is very active and normal outside of the breeder box, and was normal inside the breeder box as well until a few days ago, when he started to look more depressed and I noticed pale horizontal stripes. I've let him out of the breeder box tonight and he's acting normal -- I think being in the breeder box is bumming him out.
Questions:
Persistent abdominal distension -- should I be concerned based on its presence alone, vs only if seems otherwise sick, vs not concerned and this is expected to take a long time to resolve after such a huge meal?
Do I need to continue fasting him? If so, complete fast vs feed less than normal?
Tank stuff:
14gal planted tank with Chuck, kuhlis, neon tetras, a hillstream loach, amanos, snails
pH=7.0
Nitrate=0
GH=30
Nitrite=0
Ammonia=0
KH=40
Water temp=80F
Thank you for your help!