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Aurelie

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Oct 20, 2003
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Hiya

I think my male betta may have velvet as he looks a bit dusty. Also i have noticed lots of tiny white worms sticking to the glass of the tank and floating on the top of the water. Is this related to the disease?

I have some medication to treat but was wondering how to get rid of the worms. Should i scrub the whole tank and gravel with boiling water or would this damage the bacteria?

Thanks
 
Make sure it is velvet before you treat for it. Best thing is to do a a search and read up.

The worms are probably planaria or nematodes. If you do a search for these you'll find tons of info. They are not harmful to the fish but do indicate that there is excess food or waste present - ie, the tank is overfed and/or needs to be cleaned more often or more thoroughly. To get rid of them, stop any excess feeding and do water changes and gravel vacs. They will go away with time. It happens to a lot of people.

What size tank is the betta in?
 
Hi

he is in a 3 gallon tank at the moment. I have searched the web for information on diseases and that is the closest thing that describes it i think. He looks like he is covered in brown dust and his belly is looking a little white. Also he is spending a lot of time at the top of the tank, breathing quite rapidly. Do you think that sounds like velvet or could it be something i havent thought of? I usually do a full water change about once a week but maybe i should do it more often? I think he started looking a bit ill one night after the heater got accidently disconnected and the water temp dropped.

Thanks for the advice
 
Hi, from what you describe, it does sound like velvet - which could have occurred as a result of your heater mishap.

Is the tank filtered? Or not? If not, I suggest getting a small filter for it:) Just something small like the Azoo Palm filter:) Its a tiny HOB that is like 6$ and can be found at drfostersmiths: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=9821&Ne=40000&R=4442&N=2004+22768

That way, the tank is sure to be clean and it will prevent you from having to do such large water changes all the time. It will also help the tank stabilize a bit:)
 
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I am by no means an expert - but I've had experience with bettas...

At the very least I'd suggest changing the water and adding a little bit of salt. (The proper aquarium salt - not table salt.) Bettas actually prefer a little bit of salt in the water, and it is a quick and easy way to help boost their immunity systems when they get sick.

Due to the worms it sounds like you might be overfeeder and/or not changing the water enough - either of which leads to chemicals in the water that are not good for the fish. The water change will help you remove these pollutents. Also - I'd clean the gravel in the tank.

Then, if you get your fish recovers, I'd suggest freqent water changes (at least every five days on a tank that small) and clean the gravel with every change. Also, try feeding less.

Again, I'm no expert - but the salt + water changes have saved fish for me in the past.
 
Hi

unfortunately the tank isnt filtered. I live in the UK so it is a bit of a pain trying to find all these micro filters as no where seems to stock them! Maybe i will try and get one over the internet. That filter looks really nice but the only thing is i have a lid on my tank and from the picture i dont know if i would be able to cover the tank if i got this type. Do you know if there are any good tiny filters that sit in the tank rather than outside it so i could keep the lid on?

Thanks again
 
A sponge filter or box filter would work.

Also, don't add salt unless you know what you're doing. Salt can be used as a treatment for ich among other things, but there is a general attitude out there that says "add salt and don't ask why." Always be skeptical, anything that you add to your tank is likely to affect water chemistry.

A good resource (if a bit unscientific) is www.bettatalk.com, but remember, always be skeptical!
 
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