Need help treating Velvet !

[auriti24]

My fish Chunk , I think has velvet. He has all the signs except loss in appetite. I read a few things & still don't quite understand what to do. Please help !

[callistra]

Can you please share photos of what you think is Velvet? This is what Velvet looks like:https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/i...uZm2Aaqy1-9KUR
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...tBWgcu6TtfszXg
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/i...vVhd0nXF0kE3Cx

Also more info would be helpful: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233

[auriti24]

Housing
What size is your tank? 1.5 gallons
What temperature is your tank? 75
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

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Flakes
How often do you feed your betta fish? Once maybe twice daily

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? 1 to 2 times a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Aquarium salt , water conditioner tablets

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? I haven't tested

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Color loss
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Lethargic
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? I don't know how ..
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No
How old is your fish (approximately)?8 months

I did the "flashlight test" and he looked covered on gold dust. & you can see it on his head and down the spine without a flashlight

[callistra]

Okay it does sound like Velvet then. This is an opportunistic stress based infection.

First thing I notice is despite you having a heater he is too cold. 76 is minimum but 78-80 is ideal for bettas. Do you know why his water is so cold?

In this size I would do twice weekly changes of 50% and 100% but 2g is really minimum to keep them healthy long term (same number of changes) so I would look into something bigger

Also this is too small to run a filter. It won't be able to keep a biofilter going and the current will just cause stress so I would remove it.

I would look for a water conditioner liquid which says it remove chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals - must say alll 3.

In the bowl I would remove the gravel and increase water changes to daily using same temp water (use thermometer to match temp) and conditioner added before the fish sees it. I would also include an acclimation period of 30minutes to an hour which includes either adding a few tablespoons of water every 10minutes or at least a series of 50% changes with new water every 10min.

As for actual Velvet treatment, I'd use Coppersafe or something else copper based like Quick Cure.

[auriti24]

Ok. Thanks so much !