I'm starting this new thread in hopes of getting some "bites" from the experts. Dealing with 3 small tanks sick with velvet. 2 of them are 2.5 gal betta tanks housing betta and couple of ghost shrimp, and 20 gal community with betta, 1 adult Molly and platy and 2 baby mollies and 1 baby platy (believe all are female except for betta boy), 2 mystery snails and couple of ghost shrimp. All 3 tanks filtered and heated, all heavily planted with live plants. On day #3 of Mardel Quick Cure today. All 2 tanks ammonia readings at zero as are the nitrites and ... surprisingly nitrates at zero as well!!! Is that something that has to do with the medicine or the filter carbon being out? Bcs couple of days ago I'd still get good nitrate readings on all 3 tanks. Couple of SOLID QUESTIONS here: 1) my bettas and one of the community fish still show that "gold dust" when I flash the light on them. They eat great and one that looked the sickest (hanging out at the water surface all the time) is back to patrolling his home as he's always done, the Mardel box says to treat for 3 days. What has your experience been? Stop or continue since there is still the o"gold dust"? 2) how soon after the treatment do I replace the filter cartridges and what's best way to do it as to not lose too much of the bb that have probably been already compromised by using Mardel? 3) I removed the snails from the sick tanks but good luck with catching those ghost shrimp in planted as heck little tank... So sorry to admit but I decided to sacrifice them in order to save my fish... Well... I'm seeing some of those boogers still there!!! Hate to have put all that stress on them... But few were just eating dinner just now! The onset of velvet coincided with introduction of the snails to the tank (then I used same syringe to pull water for testing out of each tank.... Yes! I know! Bang!!!!!) my lfs people say that it is unlikely for the invertebrates to cause illness in fish.... But to think about it... About this same time I brought home baby platy who has died (my second casualty since Feb'13) .... So maybe it was the platy who started this??? Who knows? Anyway, do you guys think I should try to reintroduce the snails back in the tank? And when? Moved them into temporary planted bowl for now, have to change water (partial) to keep ammonia down.
Velvet treatment
- Thread starter Pearly
- Start date
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Meant to say all 3 tanks ammonia was at zero
The 2.5 gal has been going since February, never had any trouble with either of the tanks once I figured out the cycling and how to keep healthy balance with water changes, and not over cleaning filters
)) and stuff. Hope someone drops in with advice in here before tonight. I've been testing every night and did small water change on 2 of the tanks mid treatment due to mild ammonia rise (0.25) then heard somewhere that you should do that till the 3 days of Quick Cure is done? C'mon Guys, chime in, please, help me out with this hospital over hereOk, so no responses... Except for my own additions... Well... Are the questions I post ... "Out there"? Or too ridiculous to ask? Or something I should have known by reading websites on this forum? But which ones????
mzzguillory
Aquarium Advice Activist
I dont know what velvet is...I also think your tanks are too small...if I could help I would lol
mzzguillory
Aquarium Advice Activist
Wait im confused. Whats in the betta tanks?
mzzguillory
Aquarium Advice Activist
The filters are contaminated....get new ones...
I have 2 tiny (2.5 gal) betta tanks where I house my rescue bettas. They are filtered, planted (heavily with live plants) and temp controlled between 78-80F. I have what I can have at this time but still... Just bcs I can't get few 25 gal tanks... Does it mean I should just let those fish perish out there??? Velvet was most likely brought on by stress the I think I've got pretty good idea about how I contributed to spreading it (bang head!!!) Knowledge is the power, we'll just need keep on "drilling "
And yes will be putting I. New carriages tomorrow (already got spares). How about the old ones with all the "growth" on them? If I don't vacuum my gravel and sand will that be ok to keep my bb in check? Or should I keep something from old filters (algae growing and reallycrappy looking but smelling nice and fresh
shellieca
Aquarium Advice Addict
Glad to see this thread. Have you blacked out the tanks? When treating velvet the tanks should be blacked out & it can take a couple weeks, more or less, for the velvet to disappear. Typically but not always, meds are not needed. I would finish the treatment you've started & also black out the tanks.
shellieca
Aquarium Advice Addict
Also, if there is more than a Betta in a 2.5g tank, it should be removed IMO.
mzzguillory
Aquarium Advice Activist
Youd have to do a heat treatment to kill every little spore if its ick. Um...youd need to do a cycle with a healthy minn ow or something. Keep them in a spare tank.
mzzguillory
Aquarium Advice Activist
I dont k ow the rules wirh velvet but thats what you do for ick.
mzzguillory
Aquarium Advice Activist
Yes definitely
shellieca
Aquarium Advice Addict
mzzguillory
Aquarium Advice Activist
When u see a betta in a big tank...they are soooo happy. They loooove to swim fast back n forth amd through bubbles....please dont confine them because the commercial world tells you to. Its only to make money. Just because bettas r found in mudholes doesnt mean they were happy there. goodluck
goodluckOh, thank you! Thank you! Finally someone out there I can converse with about this and hopefully get some help
the 2.5 tanks have betta (one per tank) and couple of ghost shrimp so you mean the ghosts need to be removed? They do a super job in keeping the gravel clean and have not had issues with water quality since the very beginning stages of those tanks. They've been going since mid February. Ok, so for velvet do you mean black out like cover the tank with beach towel or no turning lights on? Also black out for how long? They are heavily planted with beautiful plants, I'd be worried about those. Oh, thank you again for responding. I did start like 3-4 threads in unhealthy fish section and was just not getting any responses. My go to person at my ifs gone for few days, one that picks up the phone doesn't know me and seems busy with customers every time I try to call... It is hard to impose on people like that, then Internet.... The amt of info is overwhelming and lot of it is contradictory... In my area the only family that I know of owns fish tank does "not treat sick fish" they "just replace them". The tank looks disgusting and filthy... Wouldn't really want to take advice from a "keeper" who has those standards of care. Then, yesterday I noticed little white spot on my platy girl's tail (may have always been there... and I just didn't notice, but now I'm carefully inspecting everybody!), it stays this same and not seeing any more spots anywhere in the tank, and then.... one of my betta boys (one who first started with velvet. then I did the job of spreading it to other tanks (can't believe I didn't think to use separate equipment for water changes and testing (feel like an idiot!), who is back to his normal behavior since velvet treatment but now seems to have lost some of his beautiful colors fins and tail are like see through in few places and kinda raggedy looking.... Fin rot????? and no one here I can talk to about this, never mind getting expert advice, but just talking, sharing experiences! Pretty lonely road when you find yourself up against something that can potentially harm your fish, thus my call of desperation last night, in a wrong place... Again my deepest apologies to ALL. Shellieca, thank you so much for responding despite the way I came across. Very professional of you I'll be waiting to hear from you about the black out and also do you have any experience with fin rot?
shellieca
Aquarium Advice Addict
Oh, thank you! Thank you! Finally someone out there I can converse with about this and hopefully get some help
I know the feeling of desperation so no worries. I have not personally treated velvet so I have no personal experience with it my knowledge is from what I've found on the Internet through other people's experiences, you may want to read through the link I posted in one of my other responses. The link talks about treatment which can include a copper based med which would be dangerous for your shrimp. As for the shrimp, I personally wouldn't keep additional inhabitants in my 2.5g tanks with my Bettas BUT if your water parameters are staying stable then it appears they're fine. Usually with a black out people do cover they're tanks but you can try just keeping the lights out & see if that works. Fin rot is typically black edges on the fins & some fin loss which doesn't sound like what you're seeing. Fin rot is also usually due to bad water quality & based on what you're saying doesn't sound like the case for you. If they have fin rot, clean, warm, conditioned water is the best treatment. When you added the meds did you remove the carbon from your filter? If not then the carbon probably removed the meds from your water unless the carbon is old. If you can post a pic that could help.
