Hello!
I am an "aquarium newbie." I bought my first ever fish (a male rose petal betta from Petco) about three weeks ago. His name is Doc! I didn't know too much about bettas at the time, but after some research I've learned a few things. I read that fish sold from pet stores often already have diseases at the time of purchase.
I recently discovered that Doc probably has a mild case of fin rot. This is his fourth day of being treated with aquarium salt. He lives in a 1.75 gallon tank so I put almost 2 tsp of salt with each daily water change. I am using Ozarka spring water. Additionally, I'm keeping his tank at about 76 degrees F and trying to keep him away from a lot of light. These are all things I've read will help with fin rot. Is this correct?
Today, I read about Velvet. It's hard to see in the pictures below, but Doc has some gold coloring on his body and fins. I'm worried that he may have both fin rot AND Velvet! The photos below are of his left and right sides. Can anyone tell me how severe (or mild) his fin rot is? Additionally, can you see if he has Velvet or not?
As a bonus, I'm curious to see how old he is. He's very active, eats well (a little too well, really), and always swims up to say "hi" when I approach his aquarium. When I measured him, he was almost two inches long (not including fins).
Additional Information:
1.) I'm trying to get him a 5 gallon tank, but I'm a college student and they're pricey!
2.) He swims along the side of the tank a lot. Also, he does these random jerking movements where he throws his head to his side for 1-2 seconds.
3.) I feed him twice a day with two pellets. I will admit that I used to feed him 4 pellets during each feeding. A big no-no!
4.) He lives alone in his tank.
5.) He has a synthetic plant and leaf "hammock."
I am an "aquarium newbie." I bought my first ever fish (a male rose petal betta from Petco) about three weeks ago. His name is Doc! I didn't know too much about bettas at the time, but after some research I've learned a few things. I read that fish sold from pet stores often already have diseases at the time of purchase.
I recently discovered that Doc probably has a mild case of fin rot. This is his fourth day of being treated with aquarium salt. He lives in a 1.75 gallon tank so I put almost 2 tsp of salt with each daily water change. I am using Ozarka spring water. Additionally, I'm keeping his tank at about 76 degrees F and trying to keep him away from a lot of light. These are all things I've read will help with fin rot. Is this correct?
Today, I read about Velvet. It's hard to see in the pictures below, but Doc has some gold coloring on his body and fins. I'm worried that he may have both fin rot AND Velvet! The photos below are of his left and right sides. Can anyone tell me how severe (or mild) his fin rot is? Additionally, can you see if he has Velvet or not?
As a bonus, I'm curious to see how old he is. He's very active, eats well (a little too well, really), and always swims up to say "hi" when I approach his aquarium. When I measured him, he was almost two inches long (not including fins).
Additional Information:
1.) I'm trying to get him a 5 gallon tank, but I'm a college student and they're pricey!
2.) He swims along the side of the tank a lot. Also, he does these random jerking movements where he throws his head to his side for 1-2 seconds.
3.) I feed him twice a day with two pellets. I will admit that I used to feed him 4 pellets during each feeding. A big no-no!
4.) He lives alone in his tank.
5.) He has a synthetic plant and leaf "hammock."
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