Does my beta have Velvet?

[GinkoTracks]

Hi there all,

 

im posting here out of concern for my fish Boo, who has developed some yellowish patches on his find while I was away on vacation. There has been a yellow patch on his head for a while now, but since it didn’t seem to be spreading and his behavior seemed normal, I thought it might be coloration change. Now it has gotten darker, and I’m not so sure anymore.

 

he was a little lethargic earlier today, but seems to be back to his normal self after I fed him. 
 

im a Little wary of treating him unnecessarily, since he had a bout with dropsy about a year ago that he somehow survived. I don’t know what his body can and can’t handle drug wise, but I also don’t want to not treat him when I should.

i have most meds on hand, if necessary. If I could treat him in his tank with something invert and plant safe that would be ideal. He’s a pain in the butt to catch! 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Hi there @GinkoTracks. Sorry about your Betta. However if he truly had Dropsy you're the only one I know that got their to survive, so kudos to you and him.

I'm not sure about the yellow, as far as I can see on the pics it's just discoloration. Does it have a different texture are scales missing is there anything coming off of those patches at all or does it look like the rest of him?

Also, are those the parameters he's always lived in? Buffer, pH seems a bit low, and no Nitrate is unusual unless you have a super heavy plant load. 

I ask, if he's always lived in those parameters that helps me maybe go another direction. 

Edited March 25, 2023 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

I found this picture of a Betta with Velvet...any resemblance to what is on yours?

[GinkoTracks]

On 3/25/2023 at 6:54 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Hi there @GinkoTracks. Sorry about your Betta. However if he truly had Dropsy you're the only one I know that got their to survive, so kudos to you and him.

I'm not sure about the yellow, as far as I can see on the pics it's just discoloration. Does it have a different texture are scales missing is there anything coming off of those patches at all or does it look like the rest of him?

Also, are those the parameters he's always lived in? Buffer, pH seems a bit low, and no Nitrate is unusual unless you have a super heavy plant load. 

I ask, if he's always lived in those parameters that helps me maybe go another direction. 

Thank you! To be honest I’m not sure how I (or he) did it lol. I treated him very heavily, since I recognized dropsy from when it killed my last fish. The treatment didn’t seem to work, so I put him back in his tank in a fish breeder mesh cage so the shrimp wouldn’t bother him. Than he just. Didn’t die xD. I like to joke hes either too stupid to die or decided to not to because he realized he wouldn’t have food anymore lol. 
 

it’s very hard to tell - it doesn’t really look like the particulate dusting in the picture you showed. But it MIGHT look like some scales are coming off on his head - I can see the edge. Maybe. I’m not really sure what to be looking for in the case of scales coming off.

 

i think his pH fluctuates a bit, but no nitrates is the norm for that tank. It is very heavily planted. 
 

should I see if I can get some more pictures close up? To see if I can get some more details? 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

I'm wondering if the low pH is too acidic for him if his scales are being effected. That was my thought. Acidic water does stave off bacterial issues typically so it shouldn't be bacterial. However, I like to keep my Bettas in 7 pH range. I've never kept a Betta in that low a number so it makes me wonder. 

Try and get more pics if you can, others may take a gander and have other ideas or experience with what's going on here. 

Edited March 26, 2023 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[GinkoTracks]

On 3/25/2023 at 9:21 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

I'm wondering if the low pH is too acidic for him if his scales are being effected. That was my thought. Acidic water does stave off bacterial issues typically so it shouldn't be bacterial. However, I like to keep my Bettas in 7 pH range. I've never kept a Betta in that low a number so it makes me wonder. 

Try and get more pics if you can, others may take a gander and have other ideas or experience with what's going on here. 

It could be: I’ve had issues with tanks having way too hard water even though I use RODI, so it could be that I did not put enough remineralizer in his tank last time. I plan to do a water change for him today, so I’ll fix that 

 

i took a bunch of close up’s of him last night, so hopefully they can help discern whether or not he actually has velvet 

 

he never had those black markings on his face and gills and the odd scale or two when I got him, but they might’ve shown up after his bout with dropsy. Regardless they don’t seem to be hurting him, so hopefully it’s nothing

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Yea I still don't see much of concern. Though his behavior change is concerning. This may be because of the change in his water environment. Betta are one of those who really don't do well with fluctuations. Get his tank back to normal parameters and do you best to make sure they don't wobble much at all. HOPEFULLY it's something simple like that!