Something is just not right about him ...sigh!

[weluvbettas]

Over the last week Aladdin has just not been acting the same. He has clamped fins and seems to Always hide in his cave. He comes only to get air and to nibble at some food. I cant get pics at the moment but if you remember my thread "more pics of the family" Aladdin is the lovely bright purple vt. He does flare but when he does his beard does not fully come out and his fins stay clamped. What can i do ? Whats wrong??

Housing!
What size is your tank?
2.5 gallon or so
What temperature is your tank?
80 to 82
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?
High qaulity pellets and the odd blood worm.

How often do you feed your betta fish?
Once a day.

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change?
Every 3 to 4 days
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?
Tetra aquasafe water conditioner

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?
Lost colour , clamped fins
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
Stays in cave and dosent flare much , always sits on the bottom
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
About 1 week ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Havent done anything
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
Had fin rot at the time of purchase . Bought about half a year ago.
How old is your fish (approximately)?
About 1 and half???

I hope You can help me.

Thanks Dec or weluvbettas :)

[Oldfishlady]

Have you ruled out Velvet?

[weluvbettas]

What are the syptoms of velvet?

[Oldfishlady]

Clamped fins, lethargic, hiding, poor appetite and sometimes flashing, if you look at him in the dark with a flash light you can sometimes see what looks like gold dust on his body, it is a parasite like Ich and treated the same in most cases-it can be fatal if not treated.
Google velvet and read up on it as well as look at the pic

[weluvbettas]

I just looked at him I cant really tell he looks like he has kinda a silver dust coating on him but not gold. How is velvet treated?

[Oldfishlady]

I use heat, no lights, aquarium salt 1-3tsp/gal and lots of water changes with mild cases, however, if he had been acting like this for a while and the silver appearance is covering most of his body and fins (and you are sure it is not his natural color) you may want to use an OTC medication...sorry I can't recommend anything as I don't use the stuff.......