Hi! I'm new to this forum, so I apologize if this isn't in the right section or anything. But, I'm worried about my betta, and I think I need advice! I got him from Petco in October 2017 (a few months ago).
The poor boy has been dealing with fin rot for a few months (for reasons that I'm unsure of, as I've been changing the water of my tank weekly, if not sometimes twice a week), which I've treated with melafix and pimafix. Judging by the pale edge of his tail, he seems to be recovering. But, recently, I noticed that he hides on the ground a lot behind the fake plant (which apparently could also be common behavior?), and there's a loss of color to him (which I don't know if is natural). Moreover, when I shined the flashlight of my phone on him, there seems to be some shiny gold stuff beneath his gills, and I'm worried it's velvet. But it also could be natural coloring, though I've never noticed gold on him before! Out of worry, I started treating him with API General Cure a few days ago. There's also been some shiny silver patches on his head, some of which have faded somewhat, but now there's a whiter, shinier one. And, there's now a pinkish reddish dot on his body that could be an injury.
But, he's excitable and eats well. I've noticed no stiffness of his fins/clamping, though I admit I don't know what this really looks like, so I could be wrong! These last few days, he's also been a bit nervous (darting away when I come near), but I don't know if this means anything. I've seen him POSSIBLY rub against plants/glass, though I don't know if he was doing it or if it just really looked like he was.
Last time I checked (some few days ago), my water parameters are: ammonia level 0.5, nitrate - safe and medium (I don't have exact number recorded), ph - little acidic - 6.2 (I have since began using a pH regulator), alkalinity - low, in between 0 and 40, no chlorine, and no hardness. He lives in a 3.7 gallon tank, with a heater, and the fake plants (as far as I can tell) are quite soft, and I don't think would damage his fins.
I'm really worried about him, and, despite searching on Google, I've found his symptoms to not match... anything in particular.
Images will be attached below! I apologize for quality; he runs around a lot and it's hard to get a still image. I'd appreciate if anyone can tell me what's wrong with him, and I'd also be grateful if you can tell me if his fin rot is recovering too!! Also, this is my first pet betta, and the fact that he's getting so many health problems worries me; is there anything that I'm doing wrong?
Images:
1 & 2 (IMG_5998, IMG_6002): pictures taken about ~10 days ago: silvery-white patch on head, has since faded somewhat! aquatic specialist in Petco told me his finrot was fungal
3, 4, 5 (IMG_6012, IMG_6015, IMG_6023): pictures taken just now! notice the shiny white spot on his head, and the red (injury?) on his body. also, finrot which seems to be recovering, though I'd love to hear your input on it. I tried to get a picture of the gold near his gills, but it's really hard to see here because it only shows in very bright lighting.
The poor boy has been dealing with fin rot for a few months (for reasons that I'm unsure of, as I've been changing the water of my tank weekly, if not sometimes twice a week), which I've treated with melafix and pimafix. Judging by the pale edge of his tail, he seems to be recovering. But, recently, I noticed that he hides on the ground a lot behind the fake plant (which apparently could also be common behavior?), and there's a loss of color to him (which I don't know if is natural). Moreover, when I shined the flashlight of my phone on him, there seems to be some shiny gold stuff beneath his gills, and I'm worried it's velvet. But it also could be natural coloring, though I've never noticed gold on him before! Out of worry, I started treating him with API General Cure a few days ago. There's also been some shiny silver patches on his head, some of which have faded somewhat, but now there's a whiter, shinier one. And, there's now a pinkish reddish dot on his body that could be an injury.
But, he's excitable and eats well. I've noticed no stiffness of his fins/clamping, though I admit I don't know what this really looks like, so I could be wrong! These last few days, he's also been a bit nervous (darting away when I come near), but I don't know if this means anything. I've seen him POSSIBLY rub against plants/glass, though I don't know if he was doing it or if it just really looked like he was.
Last time I checked (some few days ago), my water parameters are: ammonia level 0.5, nitrate - safe and medium (I don't have exact number recorded), ph - little acidic - 6.2 (I have since began using a pH regulator), alkalinity - low, in between 0 and 40, no chlorine, and no hardness. He lives in a 3.7 gallon tank, with a heater, and the fake plants (as far as I can tell) are quite soft, and I don't think would damage his fins.
I'm really worried about him, and, despite searching on Google, I've found his symptoms to not match... anything in particular.
Images will be attached below! I apologize for quality; he runs around a lot and it's hard to get a still image. I'd appreciate if anyone can tell me what's wrong with him, and I'd also be grateful if you can tell me if his fin rot is recovering too!! Also, this is my first pet betta, and the fact that he's getting so many health problems worries me; is there anything that I'm doing wrong?Images:
1 & 2 (IMG_5998, IMG_6002): pictures taken about ~10 days ago: silvery-white patch on head, has since faded somewhat! aquatic specialist in Petco told me his finrot was fungal
3, 4, 5 (IMG_6012, IMG_6015, IMG_6023): pictures taken just now! notice the shiny white spot on his head, and the red (injury?) on his body. also, finrot which seems to be recovering, though I'd love to hear your input on it. I tried to get a picture of the gold near his gills, but it's really hard to see here because it only shows in very bright lighting.
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