More problems

[mstenorsaxplayer]

I have been treating Lil Sano for velvet. I changed his water a few hours ago and his belly seemed fine then. Now it is bloated. He isn't having issues swimming. Do you think maybe I didn't let the water set long enough and a gas bubble could be in him? Does velvet cause a bloated tummy? It isn't severly bloated, but it happened so fast. He isn't constipated. I wish I could post pics, but I camera is retarded. :( Please help soon.

[Roemgie]

Originally Posted by mstenorsaxplayer

I have been treating Lil Sano for velvet. I changed his water a few hours ago and his belly seemed fine then. Now it is bloated. He isn't having issues swimming. Do you think maybe I didn't let the water set long enough and a gas bubble could be in him? Does velvet cause a bloated tummy? It isn't severly bloated, but it happened so fast. He isn't constipated. I wish I could post pics, but I camera is retarded. :( Please help soon.

Did you feed him recently? Sometimes if bettas aren't very active food can take a little while longer to pass and can make them look chubby. I personally don't have much experience with velvet at all but when did you notice it and how long have you been treating for it?

[callistra]

Do you have any scales sticking out?

More info is needed: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233

[mstenorsaxplayer]

No scales are sticking out. The bloating seems to have gone down a lot.

[mstenorsaxplayer]

his pelvic fins are turning a shiny reddish copper color

[Roemgie]

Originally Posted by mstenorsaxplayer

his pelvic fins are turning a shiny reddish copper color

Does he look ok?

[AyalaCookiejar]

Could you please fill out the form in the link Callistra posted?

[mstenorsaxplayer]

Housing
What size is your tank? 5 gallons. He is being kept in a 1 gallon hospital tank
What temperature is your tank? 77 degrees f
Does your tank have a filter?yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Is your tank heated?yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none. just a plant if that counts.

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Sun Dried Gammarus, TetraMin Tropical Flakes, Freeze Dried bloodworms, TetraBetta Floating mini pellets, and TetraMin tropical medley.
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2X a day 6 days a week. He gets the gammarus or bloodworms 2x a week for a treat.

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Everyday
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 20%. Now that he is sick I do 100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Prime and Tetra Easy Balance

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? clamped fins. turning copper. gills look slightly inflamed.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? scratching
When did you start noticing the symptoms? a week and a half ago? Somewhere around there.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? I have him in the dark. I put a bit of AQ salt in his tank and am treating him with malachite green and Formalin. I used this before on velvet and it worked just fine.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Yes.
How old is your fish (approximately)? 1.5 years

[AyalaCookiejar]

Okay, first thing is that tropical flakes are not betta food. Also, flakes are harder to feed in portions, are messy, and can cause bloating issues. On top of that, tetra is a horrible brand of food. The TetraBetta pellets really have no nutritional value. I would consider switching his food to something like Omega One pellets or New Life Spectrum pellets.

Second, when battling velvet, it helps to turn the temperature up to 82-85 degrees. It really should be at least 78 ideally. Also, velvet can't be seen with the naked eye. You'll see it by shining a flashlight and looking for gold colored dust, so I'm not sure what the copper color is you are talking about. I have a blue VT who has coppery gills, which is normal for him.

I also know from personal experience that scratching can be caused by internal parasites, too, which often cause bloating that seems to have nothing to do with feeding schedules.

I would wait to see Callistras opinion, though.

[callistra]

Malachite green and formalin ought to take care of velvet.

I would really stop the tetra easy balance. It messes with ph which is really hard on fish, and can even be lethal.

Adding salt with aquarium plants will kill the plants and the death will cause ammonia spikes.