[MissE]

Hi

I recently bought a beautiful and lively Crowntail Betta. He is my first Crowntail but i have had a betta before who recently died. I used a vinegar solution to clean the tank and added no decor because he looked very "off" in the container. I diagnosed hexamita (sp) and possible internal parasites so i treated the food + water with metronidazole and the water with Prazipro at the same time.

He only looks sick in the way his scales seem covered in a silver sheen, especially around his gills. He is very aggressive, energetic and eats well. His behaviour seems fine.

(At the same time, in my other tank i noticed the silvering around some fishes gills. I had brought in a dwarf gourami who died apparently of no reason within 48 hours)

A couple of fish died in my big tank- i began to suspect velvet- and have 3 advanced cases of this silver/metallic sheen over their gills and they are in my qt tank.)

I decided to do a 100% change in the betta tank to remove all meds and treat with Cupramine and the level is now at 0.25 to 0.5 in the betta tank and my betta looks good - i am still giving him medicated brine shrimp 1x a day.

He has a small silver flake by each gill. It does not shine under a flashlight.

The tank temp has been raised and it is covered with a blanket to keep out light.

Am i treating the right thing? Is this silver/metallic sheen really velvet?
What should i do?
Current tank parameters are as follows:

Tank size: 10g
Temp:84 (increased to speed velvet life cycle)
Filter: available but not currently in use for fear of lowering the copper level
Air stone: yes, added yesterday
Heated?: yes
Tankmates: none atm, but usually 2 nerite snails and 1 red ramshorn snail (removed due to treatment)

Food type: -aqueon pellets (3) 1x a day and -frozen brine shrimp mixed with metronidazole 1x a day

Water changes: usually 40-50% due to new filter cycling but a 100% change had to be done to get rid of the medicated water when i added the cupramine.
Additives; Top Fin conditioner, Stress Coat

His appearance is vibrant and healthy excepting the two dots one on each side, uniformly behind the gills and a type of red abrasion on the top of his head that resembles varicose veins.
Behaviour is aggressive and energetic. I've only had him a week and he's been ill this whole time.

The treatment he is now receiving:
-dark tank
-increased heat
-metronidazole by mouth
-cupramine at 0.25-0.5 (good level for velvet)

Water levels

Ammonia is 0.25 but i'd usually remove that through water changes but i'm hesitant due to a toxic reaction between cupramine and dechlorinator. I currentlt have water in buckets with Prime in it and i am waiting 48 hours to do a water change.
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate:0-20
Ph: 8, unusual for my water
GH: 30
KH: 40

So- can you help? What am i dealing with and how can i treat it? He's a strong little fish-

 

[lilnaugrim]

The silver sheen is normal, that's the iridescence and the shiny part on the gills is also normal. It is not velvet, velvet looks like this:


Aggressive and energic is a happy and healthy fish! In what way are you determining this to be an illness other than the silvery bits, if I may ask.

 

[MissE]

Hello

Thanks for replying-
When i brought him home he had a lesion on his head- i determined that it was likely hexamita (sp?) and treated accordingly and his colour returned- i was not sure of wether or not i had the additional problem of velvet but couldn't be certain as the other fish in my other tank had the symptoms-
I have since tested my water supply to find that is is a ph of 8.8 or higher (the test kit doesn't go higher, and that's using the "high ph" bottle and chart) and the ammonia in the water reads at least 0.5

I determined ammonia poisoning in my other tank and am taking measures to control it- but my betta seems to be less affected being that i was doing more frequent water changes.

I am glad it is looking like he's on the road to better health- i am buying really decent Betta food to increase his nutrition.

 

[daniella3d]

I hope that you know Cupramine is very toxic. Never ever use Prime with Cupramine because it will bind to the amine is Cupramine and release the copper into a toxic form.

If your fish is acting normaly, it is not velvet. A fish with Velvet will act sick or stressed. Velvet is a fast acting parasite and usually the fish don't last long without a proper treatment but they show obvious sign of distres like fast breathing, darting etc..or they could be very lethargic, refuse to eat.