Betta losing colour/not eating

[radiohead]

Hi,

I'm quite new to fish keeping (about 7 months in now), and have a small 42lt set up.

I've had this betta fish for about 4 months and it has started to loose it colour i.e from red to grey. I've had a look on the forms but can not figure out what is wrong with him. any advice would be appreaciated.

Sorry about the pic quality, its from my phone.

[radiohead]

this was him before....

[Hubert90]

O wow poor little guy. Hmm what's Ur water parameters?

[Flossie]

I got this off the internet... U can see it that seems like your problem...

DISEASE: VELVET


uGENERAL INFO:

Velvet is another pesky little parasite. If you always add aquarium salt to your betta’s water (1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per 2 1/2 Gal of water) and one drop of Aquarisol per gal, your betta will probably never get velvet. It is very contagious, but bettas will fully recover if treated promptly. Velvet is the number one killer of small betta fries. (

uSYMPTOMS:
Velvet is hard to spot, but can be best spotted with a flashlight. Shine the light on the betta’s body: if it looks like it is covered with a fine gold or rust mist, then it has velvet. A betta with velvet will act sick, so look for clamped fins, scratching against rocks/gravel/tank, loss of appetite, loss of color etc...

uTREATMENT: Velvet is a parasite. Because velvet is very VERY contagious, it is preferable to treat the whole tank when one fish is found to have it. BettaZing (included in our Betta First Aid Kit) contains two agents that are proven velvet killers, so it is EXTREMELY effective against this disease . So far it is the meanest velvet killer I have ever found . Use Bettazing at a 12 drop per gallon concentration (yes, it is OK to do so you have my blessings). Isolate any individual with velvet, treat the whole tank even if other fish look OK and remember WASH YOUR HANDS!!! Sanitize fish nets! Keep bowl or tank in a darker place, velvet will be easier to kill if it is not getting any light.

[radiohead]

Originally Posted by Hubert90

O wow poor little guy. Hmm what's Ur water parameters?

hi - ph is 7.5, NO2 is <0.3mg, these are all the test kits i have, what else should i be looking out for?

[radiohead]

Originally Posted by Flossie

I got this off the internet... U can see it that seems like your problem...

DISEASE: VELVET


uGENERAL INFO:

Velvet is another pesky little parasite. If you always add aquarium salt to your betta&rsquo;s water (1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per 2 1/2 Gal of water) and one drop of Aquarisol per gal, your betta will probably never get velvet. It is very contagious, but bettas will fully recover if treated promptly. Velvet is the number one killer of small betta fries. (

uSYMPTOMS:
Velvet is hard to spot, but can be best spotted with a flashlight. Shine the light on the betta&rsquo;s body: if it looks like it is covered with a fine gold or rust mist, then it has velvet. A betta with velvet will act sick, so look for clamped fins, scratching against rocks/gravel/tank, loss of appetite, loss of color etc...

uTREATMENT: Velvet is a parasite. Because velvet is very VERY contagious, it is preferable to treat the whole tank when one fish is found to have it. BettaZing (included in our Betta First Aid Kit) contains two agents that are proven velvet killers, so it is EXTREMELY effective against this disease . So far it is the meanest velvet killer I have ever found . Use Bettazing at a 12 drop per gallon concentration (yes, it is OK to do so you have my blessings). Isolate any individual with velvet, treat the whole tank even if other fish look OK and remember WASH YOUR HANDS!!! Sanitize fish nets! Keep bowl or tank in a darker place, velvet will be easier to kill if it is not getting any light.

Thanks for the info - this sounds quite nasty. I have recently added some aquarium tonic salt to the tank although im not sure how often im to do this - would it be with every water change? I'm currently doing 15-20% every week so im guessing i would need to add 20% of the recommended dosage of salt for each water change?

As for other treatment has anyone used BettaZing? and would it cause any issues my the other fish? tetra's -mollies - platty - Harlequins and a dwaft sucker fish (not sure if its proper name)

Thanks for the help so far

[Flossie]

Those it appear to be velvet? It sounded like it to me. Just make sure so u know that u are treating the betta correctly. There are others with more experience on treatment. Hopefully they'll chime in soon