My Betta Is Sick.. Seek Help!!

[Hopefully]

Dear All,

Can anyone here know what happened to my Betta? Has been a week he just floating on the top and don't wanna eat anything. His body and fins looks like covered with a layer of dust.

Please help...

[stormhawk]

If it looks like a fine white peppering all over the body then it's velvet. I cannot tell from the picture what's wrong with your fish. The symptoms you mentioned are typical of velvet, but the pics indicate some sort of slime coat problem. Should it be a slime coat disease, specifically cloudy slime, then you'll need tetracycline. Get API's Tetracycline pack and follow the dosage. If it is velvet then find either methylene blue or acriflavine. Either one will work for velvet.

[Hopefully]

If it looks like a fine white peppering all over the body then it's velvet. I cannot tell from the picture what's wrong with your fish. The symptoms you mentioned are typical of velvet, but the pics indicate some sort of slime coat problem. Should it be a slime coat disease, specifically cloudy slime, then you'll need tetracycline. Get API's Tetracycline pack and follow the dosage. If it is velvet then find either methylene blue or acriflavine. Either one will work for velvet.

Hi Stormhawk,

Thanks for your reply. Can I know putting salt into the water will help? Because refering the treatment of velvet mentioned from the webside. Some mentioned just putting salt into the water and change it regularly. Some mentioned cover it (tank) with a towel and avoid from light will do..

[stormhawk]

The salt is only as a precautionary measure, i.e. to keep the water a little bit alkaline in a sense. It is not meant to be a cure. As for covering it with a towel, that is not necessary. In temperate countries, that would keep the warmth in, but for us here, will just make it warmer for your fish. Keeping it shaded might help to calm the fish down.

[David]

Looks and sound a lot like Velvet. This is a parasite that attacks the body as well as the gill membrane and salt, only interrupts the life cycle but is not enough to remove them. Since yours is a betta and not in a planted tank, its easier to treat. I remember Methylene Blue (As Stormhawk as mentioned) or Malachite Green. Perhaps there is some new med out there that I do not know of.

[sen_jie]

You can try using sera baktopur and palce your fish tank near the rear of your fridge (for constant heat)

should heal in 3 to 4 days time

[sixthbrand]

I would change water and use m blue with salt as well. Good luck!

[Proster12]

Put some yellow powder in the water. Works most of the time.

[stormhawk]

Use yellow powder only when necessary. It is a type of nitrofuran-based antibiotic and should only be applied as a last resort as there will be side effects to the fish.