Case of velvet?

[jeremywadejunior]

Hi, I recently purchased my first fish from a pet store about three weeks ago. He is a male dragon scale betta, and his color is mostly light blue. I noticed a tiny yellowish growth under his belly between his anal and ventral fins today.. and I mean it's really tiny. I can only notice it when he flares out his fins.

He also has a gold tint to him; he's always had it but then again I've only had him for three weeks. I used a flashlight and noticed the "fine gold dust" appearance is more concentrated at his tail fin, the area closest to his body.

Again, I suspect he's had velvet since I brought him home, but I'm not sure. It is just his coloration? Any help and/or insight to the situation would be greatly appreciated!!

[jeremywadejunior]

Originally Posted by jeremywadejunior

Hi, I recently purchased my first fish from a pet store about three weeks ago. He is a male dragon scale betta, and his color is mostly light blue. I noticed a tiny yellowish growth under his belly between his anal and ventral fins today.. and I mean it's really tiny. I can only notice it when he flares out his fins.

He also has a gold tint to him; he's always had it but then again I've only had him for three weeks. I used a flashlight and noticed the "fine gold dust" appearance is more concentrated at his tail fin, the area closest to his body.

Again, I suspect he's had velvet since I brought him home, but I'm not sure. It is just his coloration? Any help and/or insight to the situation would be greatly appreciated!!

Housing
What size is your tank? 5 gal
What temperature is your tank? 70 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? No
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Pellets, frozen brine shrimp and bloodworms
How often do you feed your betta fish? once a day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Every 1-3 weeks
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Conditioner

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

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
pH: 6.0-6.5
Hardness: 120-180 ppm
Alkalinity: unknown

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? None
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Less active, twitches occasionally
When did you start noticing the symptoms? Today
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Decreased lighting in tank
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Unknown
How old is your fish (approximately)? a year maybe?

[Maura]

Photos would be helpful, if possible. Also, 70ºF is much too cold for a betta. Bettas are tropical fish and should be kept between ~ 76º and 82º, +/-.

[jeremywadejunior]

I'll try to take/post some ASAP! Thanks for the advise, I'm planning on purchasing a heater tomorrow. :)

[jeremywadejunior]

[Maura]

Originally Posted by jeremywadejunior

I'll try to take/post some ASAP! Thanks for the advise, I'm planning on purchasing a heater tomorrow. :)

Try to get an adjustable one with a safety shutoff. I heard a horror story at work today of a non-adjustable heater shooting a tank up to 90º and killing everything in it. And the heater was recommended for tanks much smaller than the customer's!

[jeremywadejunior]

Originally Posted by jeremywadejunior

You can see the gold tint on his body and tail area...

[Maura]

Does he rub against the sides of the tank or decorations/plants as if he's trying to scratch an itch?

[jeremywadejunior]

I haven't seen him rub against anything as if he were trying to itch. However, sometimes he will twitch; not a whole lot but sometimes his ventral fins will twitch a little or his body. There are also tiny black dots in the center of most of his scales; I don't know if that could indicate anything or if that's normal...
Again, thanks!!

[jeremywadejunior]

Anyway, I was planning on going over to Petco tomorrow morning to purchase Mardel's Coppersafe, aquarium salt, and a heater. Do you think that's a good idea?