I Think My Betta Has Velvet!

[BeccaBoo]

I woke up this morning and noticed that my betta had rust colored spots on his head and at the base of his dorsel fin and it looks like one of his fins is clamped. It also looks like he has white fuzz or something on him. From what I've seen online, it sounds like it may be velvet.

He is still swimming around and he ate just fine. I'm really worried though. How should I treat him and what medications should I get? I've never done this before so I really need some help. Thanks.

[BeccaBoo]

Here is all the info:

Housing
What size is your tank? 2.5 Gallons
What temperature is your tank? 80-81 degrees
Does your tank have a filter? yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? yes (air stone)
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? Hikari Bio Gold
How often do you feed your betta fish? once a day (3 pellets)

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Twice a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50% and 100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? AquaSafe

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? He now has rust colored spots on his head a and at the base of his dorsel fin. He also appears to have some sort of white "fuzz" on him. One fin appears to be clamped.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He is acting normal.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? This morning.
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 don't know.

[Adastra]

The fuzz is probably saprolegnia, it's common in fish that are weakened by another condition. You should google some pictures to make sure the look of it is consistent with sapro. As for the velvet, usually it is not concentrated in just one area. Darken the room and shine a flashlight on the fish--if it's velvet, you should see yellowy granules in between his scales.

In any case, I would do more frequent water change and re-evaluate his environment for possible sources of stress, such as poor water quality, strong current, temperature fluctuations, cold temperatures, etc.

[BeccaBoo]

Ok i did the flashlight test and he does have a yellow tint to him. Also he doesn't appear to have the fuzz thing anymore, I think it may have been an actual piece of fuzz stuck to him.

If it is velvet, what is the best way to treat it?

[Adastra]

Slowly turn the heat up to around 82F. You have two options, really. One is frequent 100% water changes. This will slowly weed out the free swimming parasites and get rid of the dormant ones that fall to the floor of the tank. The other option is a malachite green treatment like Jungle's Ick Clear or QuickCure. I recommend using a bare-bottomed hospital container.