Velvet?

[Haleigh]

Hi all. I'm new to the forum and to owning a Betta fish. I am worried that he might have velvet. I may just be overly sensitive, since I am still new to owning him. He is blue and seems to be shiny and has yellowish coloring in his fins. I'm wondering if that's just how he's naturally colored or if it could be velvet. He scratches himself on his plant decoration every now and then, but he doesn't do it compulsively like he's itchy. Thoughts?

[callistra]

Can you share photos? A video of what you mean about the scratching might be very helpful.

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

[AyalaCookiejar]

You should fill out that link Callistra provided.

The good news is that I have found that velvet is misdiagnosed often. A lot of people think their fish has velvet when they do not... Because certain coloring looks gold. Velvet can usually only be seen under a flashlight and it is tiny gold specks that make the fish look like it is covered in pollen.

[Haleigh]

Housing
What size is your tank?- 1 gallon
What temperature is your tank?- 76.5 degrees F
Does your tank have a filter?- no
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

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?- Aqueon Betta Food
How often do you feed your betta fish?- once a day, three pellets a day (except Friday which is his fasting day)

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change?- once a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?- about 80%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?- water conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?- I have not tested it yet.

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?- It hasn't really changed. I compared pictures from a month ago when I bought him and he looks the same. I'm just worried he's had it all along.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?- When I first moved back to college he freaked out a bit and was scratching himself a lot. However, over a week has gone by and he's back to normal.
When did you start noticing the symptoms?- over a week ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?- no
Does your fish have any history of being ill?- no
How old is your fish (approximately)?- I bought him 12/22/12, but I don't know how old he was when I got him.

I performed the flashlight test and he doesn't have golden flakes. He only appears to have golden coloring in his fins. Also, he only scratches against his plant every once in a while. Is it normal for Betta's to just scratch themselves and play that way?

[AyalaCookiejar]

Well sometimes they get a little freaked out when moving which is normal. How experienced are you with them? Could you maybe get a video of him scratching or try to explain it? When I saw my Betta flashing against ornaments he was flashing and it was like a fast twitch against things. The golden color sounds like its totally normal - if you are able to get a decent enough picture, we could tell you for sure.

A few other things is his temp really should be at 78 and you should be doing 2 water changes a week. One 50% and one 100% if you don't use a gravel vacuum. (IMO you can do 80%s instead of 100%s sometimes but only if you have a gravel vac). Honestly, he should have at least two gallons for long term housing, but I know that with college they sometimes have certain rules and you have limited space.

One other suggestion for the future is maybe some better quality pellets. Omega One and New Life Spectrum are two good brands that would provide better nutrition for your Betta. :)

[Haleigh]

I am not experienced with them. Pontus Rex (that's his name) is my first Betta, and I've only had him for a little over a month now. What exactly is flashing? From your description it does sound like he flashes now and then. Is that normal?

I keep him on my desk, so there isn't that much room, but I have been wanting to get him a larger tank. I'm planning on going shopping this weekend and checking some out. As for his temperature, I have a heater, but it doesn't have settings, so I'm assuming this is as high as it will go. I'll look into purchasing another one.

One thing that will surely be in my budget is his food. I'll buy him one of those brands you suggested this weekend. Thanks for all your help!

[AyalaCookiejar]

Flashing isn't normal... At least, not generally. I guess that it could maybe be possible that a betta just flashes occasionally because of his personality? Don't quote me on that. Every single betta is different and you tend to get a better idea of what normal is for yours when you've had them for longer..

And flashing is generally caused by external parasites but I'm pretty sure Pontus does not have velvet. Do you know what his poop looks like?

[Haleigh]

His poop looks like brown flakes.

[Haleigh]

Hey! I went out and bought New Life Spectrum. It looks like the pellets are smaller, so I've been feeding him five of those a day. Is that overfeeding or about right?

[AyalaCookiejar]

I feed six of them a day since they are small. Five should be just fine.