Betta Fish Velvet

What is Velvet Disease?

Velvet, also known as gold dust disease, is a highly contagious parasitic infection in betta fish that is caused by the parasite piscinoodinium. Most aquarium experts call this parasite photosynthetic dinoflagellate with chlorophyll properties, classifying it as algae. But for our concern, we consider it a parasite. It has the ability to swim freely in the tank, holding on to the fish and feeding on its cells, leading to severe health issues if left untreated.

Meanwhile, it reproduces very rapidly, spreading to all the inhabitants of the tank within no time. The parasite can also assimilate into other tank equipment, such as plants, décor items, and filter media. Therefore, its complete eradication is essential to ensure a healthy environment for your betta fish.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

Velvet disease in betta fish can be challenging to identify, as it shares common symptoms with other diseases and may resemble natural iridescence. However, the diseases can be diagnosed by closely observing the fish’s appearance and behavior. Here are the two prominent symptoms of the disease that can help you to recognize the velvet in your betta fish.

Change in appearance: Velvet in betta fish can be recognized by gold, copper, or rust-colored dusting covering the fish’s body and fins.

Behavioral change: A betta fish with velvet can show unusual behavior such as clamped fins (keeping its fins close to the body), rapid breathing due to infectious gills, rubbing its fins against surfaces to relieve itching, and lethargy. In advanced cases, betta fish may exhibit a loss of appetite.

Misunderstanding between Velvet or Natural Coloring?

Many betta owners mistake the velvet symptoms and the natural shine of the betta fish, especially in blue or metallic bettas. The natural iridescence is pre-built before betta suffering from the velvet. If your betta is caught by a velvet parasite, it might be challenging to differentiate between the two situations.

You’ll need to observe your betta appearance in such a case closely. If the lining is powdery or grainy, it’s likely the velvet symptom. You may need lighting to diagnose the disease, especially in betta with a natural golden hue. Additionally, velvet’s coloring is accompanied by rubbing or scratching behavior.

Causes

Anything introducing the parasite piscinoodinium into the betta tank causes velvet disease. The parasite can be incorporated unwillingly or ignorantly in the following ways.

• Introducing an infected fish or tank mate after buying from the store without passing it through quarantine.
• A photosynthetic dinoflagellate parasite can hitchhike on plants and decorations. If you don’t sanitize them before putting them into the tank, they can cause the disease.
• Cold water usually retards the betta’s immune system, increasing the likelihood of getting velvet.
• Additionally, certain foods like bloodworms, especially frozen ones or flake food, may carry along the velvet into your tank.

Treatment for Velvet Disease

Initial Treatment Steps

The initial treatments include the essential steps that don’t involve any medications. Here’s the overview of crucial guidelines.

Turn off the Lights

Velvet parasites rely on light to photosynthesize. To control parasite reproduction, you’ll need to turn off the lights or cover the tank with a lid or curtain. The absence of light might affect the growth of aquarium plants. Therefore, you should adjust the lighting per the plants’ needs. We recommend shifting your betta to a hospital tank if you think switching lights inhibits plant growth. It’s best to avoid the light even during feeding, as fish eat in the dark.

Raise the Temperature

Higher temperature retards the growth of parasites. Gradually increase the aquarium temperature to 80-84°F. Ensure you use a large-size aquarium of a minimum 5-gallon size while dealing with temperature because it becomes challenging to maintain a stable temperature in a tank of a size lower than 5-gallon. Additionally, avoid increasing the temperature suddenly, as it can stress the betta, especially if they’re already breathing heavily.

Perform Water Changes

Water changes are essential even in normal routines, and they become crucial when dealing with contagious diseases. Performing partial water changes (about 30-35%) every few days can significantly reduce the parasite load.

Remove the Filter Media

When proceeding with medication use or even at the start of the treatment, removing the filter media is good, as these can absorb the medication and reduce its effectiveness.

Medications Used to Cure Velvet

Several medications can be used to cure velvet in betta fish, each with its specific effectiveness and side effects. Below are some of the most well-known medications used for betta velvet treatment.

Copper-Based Treatments

Fritz Coppersafe and other copper treatments, such as copper sulfate, are effective against velvet. However, copper use requires caution as it is harmful to invertebrates like snails and can affect live plants. If you have to deal with the only betta-containing tank, proceed with copper treatments. Otherwise, use it in a quarantine tank if available or temporarily remove plants and tank mates like invertebrates from the main tank. Ensure the following steps to carry out the copper medications.

• Follow the instructions on the product label for a proper dosage. Generally, we add 1 teaspoon for 4 gallons of water.
• Overdosing of copper can be lethal. To measure copper levels, use a chelated copper test kit, aiming for around 1.16 ppm.
• Copper remains active for a month. Replace any copper lost during water changes to maintain therapeutic levels.
• Regularly check the water pH and KH levels to ensure optimum hardness, as medications can be toxic in acidic water.

(Check the medication on Amazon)

Malachite Green

It is another effective treatment option for velvet, but it can be potent and harsh on betta fish, so it is often reserved for advanced cases. Add its recommended dosage based on packaging—typically, a few drops per gallon. Avoid overmedication, as it can be fatal for your betta fish.

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Additional Treatment Tips

Salt Treatment: Aquarium salt doesn’t kill the parasite. However, its low dose can help in velvet treatment by aiding gill function and reducing osmotic stress. Remember, excessive use may harm delicate plants and invertebrates. As per our understanding of usage, 1 teaspoon of salt is enough for one gallon of water. However, it’s advisable to follow the dosage instructions labeled on the product box.

Methylene Blue: Methylene blue has been proven effective in curing velvet in betta fish. To avoid staining or damaging plants, it should be administered in a hospital tank at a recommended dosage of 1 teaspoon per 10 gallons of water.

Acriflavine Bath: An alternative treatment for velvet, which can harm the fish if inhaled or ingested. The recommended dosage is 1 gram per 10 liters of water.

Paraguard: A popular treatment for velvet, as it effectively kills the parasite without excessively stressing the fish. However, this medication can be used in solo or hospital tanks as it can affect the snails or shrimp.

Formalin Bath: Another alternative option is to administer 1 mm of the medications per 10 gallons of water for almost an hour, which can help control velvet. It’s recommended that fish be monitored during the bath and discontinue treatment if signs of distress appear.

Treatment Examples and Experiences

It’s always our priority to share with betta owners what we personally have gone through. You’re not the only one whose betta suffers from velvet. Instead, it’s almost the case with every betta keeper. However, a responsible betta enthusiast prepares his mind for every possible situation regarding betta health. Let’s overview some of our personal experiences with betta velvet and our successful treatment of it.

1.       Case of Mild Velvet with Light Symptoms

It was right after I bought a betta from a breeder and noticed rust-colored spots on it, but no heavy breathing or lethargy. There were early velvet symptoms, so I went through initial treatment. I immediately turned off the lights, gradually raised the temperature up to 82°F, and used Coppersafe. The symptoms reduced significantly within days, and my fish pal regained its condition.

2.       Severe Cases with Lethargy and Heavy Breathing

One of our betta team members had come up against a velvet case when his betta had reached an advanced level of velvet and was showing severe symptoms. The betta was lethargic, breathing heavily, and had visible gold spots. We shifted it to a hospital tank and used daily malachite green treatments with partial water changes. Similarly, we had to eliminate the disease from our main tank since it hitchhikes on live plants and décor items. For that, we used the Ich-x as it does not affect the plants.

Important Considerations During Treatment

Avoid Mixing Several Medications

We have used several medications for betta velvet treatment so that you have plenty of choices if one option does not work for you. But for safety purposes, avoid mixing multiple medications at a time. Instead, choose one specific medication and follow instructions accordingly.

Avoid Repeating the Medications

Copper-based treatments and other medications remain effective for a month and thus require only a single dose. If symptoms persist, use alternative options or a more precise method of velvet treatment, like quarantining your betta.

Continue Medication After Symptoms Resolve

One thing to remember is that you’ll not only need to treat the betta; instead, you’ll need to remove the parasite from the entire tank. Therefore, we recommend keeping the betta in the hospital tank for an additional 2-3 days if you have quarantined it, even after the symptoms have disappeared. Similarly, treat your main tank for an extra 2 days to ensure parasites are entirely eradicated.

Preventing Future Outbreaks

A common grievance of many betta owners is attacking velvet their fish repeatedly. The core mistake behind this is that they immediately stop the treatments as the symptoms of the disease disappear. However, the good practice is to continue the treatment for an extra 48-72 hours so that no hint of the disease remains.

To prevent your betta from becoming a victim of the betta, even for the first time, simply follow the general guidelines of the betta fish car. It will ensure that your betta will not suffer from any disease. To block the velvet parasite from getting into your tank, quarantine new fish or plants before adding them to your main tank. Also, thoroughly clean the tank accessories before introducing them into your main tank.

In addition, continue regular water changes, monitor water parameters, and maintain a stable water temperature to reduce the likelihood of infection.