HELP Velvet on my Betta.

[Tazzy90]

Hello. My poor betta! He is in a 5 gal tank. I use bottled spring water (I have well water). The pH 7.2, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 0. He has been in the same tank with same silk plants for about 3 mths. I have worked diligently to cycle his tank- I think I finally achieved bacteria homeostasis? about two weeks ago. Was monitoring water chemistry every other day, using seachem prime as needed, adding tetra bacteria with water changes (conditioned before adding). I didn’t think it would ever cycle and then I added some sludgy stuff from my son’s fish tank

and the chemistry balanced out- only now my betta is sick!!! I put jungle fungus clear in this morning and upon closer inspection at lunch I think he has Velvet. Can he be saved? Can I add anything to his tank to treat it or 100% water change and treat with something else?

 

[foxgirl158]

@Colin_T @Slaphppy7 @Wills

 

[AmyKieran]

@Colin_T @Slaphppy7 @Wills

Although I’m not one of the big three, I’ll try and help haha


You could try aquarium salt or rock salt? I don’t know a lot about Betta but aquarium salt or rock salt is generally a good fix for a lot of things

 

[TwoTankAmin]

You should treat Velvet with the same meds and methods as Ich.

This is a pretty good read but it is a bit light on how to treat velvet. There are many more potential treatments than they list.
https://www.bettaboxx.com/betta-disease-illness/velvet

The most important thing to understand about this infection is that you need to continue treating the tank after the velvet disappears from the fish. This has to do with the life cycle of this parasite. It is normally killed only during the free swimming phase. It is normally not going to be killed while it is on the fish or when it is in the substrate etc. as the result of reproduction.

Both Ich and velvet are very contagious, so the entire tank should be treated. If the betta is the only fish in the tank you could treat it in an H tank but you must leave the regular tank without any fish etc, for about 3 weeks to insure there are no forms of the parasite left. But when the fish is the only one in the tank, it is already an H tank.

The longer one waits to treat these parasites, the harder they can be to eradicate and the greater the odds are the fish will be harmed or even killed.

 

[Tazzy90]

You should treat Velvet with the same meds and methods as Ich.

This is a pretty good read but it is a bit light on how to treat velvet. There are many more potential treatments than they list.
https://www.bettaboxx.com/betta-disease-illness/velvet

The most important thing to understand about this infection is that you need to continue treating the tank after the velvet disappears from the fish. This has to do with the life cycle of this parasite. It is normally killed only during the free swimming phase. It is normally not going to be killed while it is on the fish or when it is in the substrate etc. as the result of reproduction.

Both Ich and velvet are very contagious, so the entire tank should be treated. If the betta is the only fish in the tank you could treat it in an H tank but you must leave the regular tank without any fish etc, for about 3 weeks to insure there are no forms of the parasite left. But when the fish is the only one n the tank, it is alread an H tank.

The longer one waits to treat these parasites, the harder they can be to eradicate and the greater the odds are the fish will be harmed or even killed.

Thanks for the quick reply. The tank has a dose of Jungle Fungus Clear in it. Is it safe to add another treatment to it or does he need all of his water changes first? I am buying copper treatment, they don’t have any malachite at the store nearest to me.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I would not mix the meds. Do the water change and you can vac also if you want. Before you dose, go to the site for the product and read what they say including the FAQ. This will alert you to any potential issues.

One thing that will help no matter what treatment you use is to turn tup the tank temperature as high as will be comfortable for the fish. This speeds up the life cycle of the velvet which means it can be eradicated faster. However, as long as the fish seems OK I would treat for the full period to be safe. Do not overdose and be aware that copper and inverts are usually a bad mix.

 

[AmyKieran]

Just To check, you don’t have carbon in the filter do you?

 

[Tazzy90]

Just To check, you don’t have carbon in the filter do you?

No, he has a sponge filter with an air stone inside of it.

 

[AmyKieran]

No, he has a sponge filter with an air stone inside of it.

An air stone inside of the filter? Why?

 

[Tazzy90]

It’s a sponge filter, they can either have a tube (connected to air pump) that goes in thru the top (produces big bubbles) or you can modify it to have a small airstone in the center). My betta prefers the small bubbles the air stone produces. It’s an easy modification.

 

[Tazzy90]

You should treat Velvet with the same meds and methods as Ich.

This is a pretty good read but it is a bit light on how to treat velvet. There are many more potential treatments than they list.
https://www.bettaboxx.com/betta-disease-illness/velvet

The most important thing to understand about this infection is that you need to continue treating the tank after the velvet disappears from the fish. This has to do with the life cycle of this parasite. It is normally killed only during the free swimming phase. It is normally not going to be killed while it is on the fish or when it is in the substrate etc. as the result of reproduction.

Both Ich and velvet are very contagious, so the entire tank should be treated. If the betta is the only fish in the tank you could treat it in an H tank but you must leave the regular tank without any fish etc, for about 3 weeks to insure there are no forms of the parasite left. But when the fish is the only one in the tank, it is already an H tank.

The longer one waits to treat these parasites, the harder they can be to eradicate and the greater the odds are the fish will be harmed or even

You should treat Velvet with the same meds and methods as Ich.

This is a pretty good read but it is a bit light on how to treat velvet. There are many more potential treatments than they list.
https://www.bettaboxx.com/betta-disease-illness/velvet

The most important thing to understand about this infection is that you need to continue treating the tank after the velvet disappears from the fish. This has to do with the life cycle of this parasite. It is normally killed only during the free swimming phase. It is normally not going to be killed while it is on the fish or when it is in the substrate etc. as the result of reproduction.

Both Ich and velvet are very contagious, so the entire tank should be treated. If the betta is the only fish in the tank you could treat it in an H tank but you must leave the regular tank without any fish etc, for about 3 weeks to insure there are no forms of the parasite left. But when the fish is the only one in the tank, it is already an H tank.

The longer one waits to treat these parasites, the harder they can be to eradicate and the greater the odds are the fish will be harmed or even killed.

I have another question. My betta is by himself in a 5gal tank. I am planning to treat him in the same tank. Should he moved to a hospital tank? Also, is it possible the Velvet came from my son’s tank? I ask because I am cycling a larger tank for my betta and used the filter sludges from my son’s tank to help cycle the new tank. I don’t want to treat my betta and then put him into the new tank if it’s infected. Happy Friday… not.

 

[AmyKieran]

I have another question. My betta is by himself in a 5gal tank. I am planning to treat him in the same tank. Should he moved to a hospital tank? Also, is it possible the Velvet came from my son’s tank? I ask because I am cycling a larger tank for my betta and used the filter sludges from my son’s tank to help cycle the new tank. I don’t want to treat my betta and then put him into the new tank if it’s infected. Happy Friday… not.

Hospital tank is optional, at that small tank ide just treat the tank he’s in. Not sure about if it came from sons tank or not however

 

[Colin_T]

Before adding chemicals you should try to work out exactly what the problem is.

Does the fish rub on objects in the tank?
Have you added anything new to the tank in the last 2 weeks?
Are there any other fish in the tank?
Do the fish in your son's tank have velvet?

If you answer no to these questions, it is highly unlikely your fish has velvet. Velvet is a protozoan parasite that irritates the skin and causes fish to rub on things in the tank, and it needs to be introduced into a tank. Unless you added something new recently from a contaminated tank, or your son's tank has velvet, it is unlikely to be velvet.

---------------------
If it is velvet, you can normally treat that by raising the water temperature to 30C (86F) and keeping it there for 3-4 weeks, or a week after the gold spots have gone.

You can use Malachite Green or copper based medications if you like but heat is generally safer.

---------------------
You don't need to add filter bacteria every water change. Once the filter is established, either add the remaining contents from the bottle or put the bottle in the fridge where children and animals can't get to it.

---------------------
If you post some more pictures of the fish it might offer more information.
If you have a picture from when you first got him, that would help too by giving us something to compare him to.

 

[Colin_T]

I have another question. My betta is by himself in a 5gal tank. I am planning to treat him in the same tank. Should he moved to a hospital tank? Also, is it possible the Velvet came from my son’s tank? I ask because I am cycling a larger tank for my betta and used the filter sludges from my son’s tank to help cycle the new tank. I don’t want to treat my betta and then put him into the new tank if it’s infected. Happy Friday… not.

There's no point moving him into a quarantine tank because any diseases will be in his tank and they need to be killed off, assuming it is a disease.

It's possible your son's tank has velvet but you need to find out if he has added anything new in the last 2 weeks. See if any of his fish are rubbing on objects in the tank. Take pictures of all his fish using a camera with the flash on, and see if any fish shows a yellow or gold sheen over its body and fins. You can also use a torch (flashlight) and shine it on the fish after the tank lights are turned off. See if they have a yellow/ gold sheen.

---------------------
If you have an established aquarium with a cycled filter, you can take half the filter media from the established filter and put it in the new filter for an instant cycled tank. No need to add ammonia and wait 6 weeks.

If you are simply moving a fish into a bigger tank, just set the new tank up, fill it with dechlorinated water. Let it aerate for a couple of days. then move the fish and old filter into the new tank. No need to cycle it because the good bacteria is in the filter.


How often and how do you clean the filter?

 

[Tazzy90]

Before adding chemicals you should try to work out exactly what the problem is.

Does the fish rub on objects in the tank?
Have you added anything new to the tank in the last 2 weeks?
Are there any other fish in the tank?
Do the fish in your son's tank have velvet?

If you answer no to these questions, it is highly unlikely your fish has velvet. Velvet is a protozoan parasite that irritates the skin and causes fish to rub on things in the tank, and it needs to be introduced into a tank. Unless you added something new recently from a contaminated tank, or your son's tank has velvet, it is unlikely to be velvet.

---------------------
If it is velvet, you can normally treat that by raising the water temperature to 30C (86F) and keeping it there for 3-4 weeks, or a week after the gold spots have gone.

You can use Malachite Green or copper based medications if you like but heat is generally safer.

---------------------
You don't need to add filter bacteria every water change. Once the filter is established, either add the remaining contents from the bottle or put the bottle in the fridge where children and animals can't get to it.

---------------------
If you post some more pictures of the fish it might offer more information.
If you have a picture from when you first got him, that would help too by giving us something to compare him to.

There's no point moving him into a quarantine tank because any diseases will be in his tank and they need to be killed off, assuming it is a disease.

It's possible your son's tank has velvet but you need to find out if he has added anything new in the last 2 weeks. See if any of his fish are rubbing on objects in the tank. Take pictures of all his fish using a camera with the flash on, and see if any fish shows a yellow or gold sheen over its body and fins. You can also use a torch (flashlight) and shine it on the fish after the tank lights are turned off. See if they have a yellow/ gold sheen.

---------------------
If you have an established aquarium with a cycled filter, you can take half the filter media from the established filter and put it in the new filter for an instant cycled tank. No need to add ammonia and wait 6 weeks.

If you are simply moving a fish into a bigger tank, just set the new tank up, fill it with dechlorinated water. Let it aerate for a couple of days. then move the fish and old filter into the new tank. No need to cycle it because the good bacteria is in the filter.


How often and how do you clean the filter?

He has a sponge filter so I squeeze it out to clean in the aquarium water when I do water changes. I was changing the water every other day at first- based on API test kit readings for Ammonia/Nitite/Nitrate. Once we got to 0-0-0, 25% water change every 4-5 days.