Velvet
Oodinium, commonly known as Velvet, is an external parasite that affects the skin and gills of the fish. The gills are the first affected by this disease, the parasites invade the gill plates which can and will lead to slow suffocation.

PREVENTION
Proper water changes are always a good preventative measure. Keeping your tank at the appropriate temperature, 76-82 degrees F, will also help to fend off this illness. Large fluctuations in temperature are very stressful for bettas and may lead to developing velvet or other illnesses.

DIAGNOSIS
Fish suffering from this disease may look as though they have been sprinkled with gold dust. One way to tell if your betta is suffering from velvet is to shine a flashlight down onto his body. If it looks as though your betta has been sprinkled with a gold or a rust colored dust, he is suffering from Velvet.

Other symptoms to watch for are: loss of appetite, lying at the bottom of the tank accompanied with rapid breathing/gasping for air, clamped fins, fading colors, rapid darting around bowl/tank, crashing into rocks, plants, or sides as he tries to scratch himself.

TREATMENT
Velvet is a very fatal disease. Because velvet typically begins in the gills, by the time you start seeing the spots on the outside of his/her body, the disease has already progressed and rapid treatment is a must or the betta will surely die in a very few days.

Two important factors for the treatment of velvet: 1. Raising the tank temperature gradually up to as high as 85 degrees is beneficial to try to speed up the life cycle of the parasite. 2. Darkening the tank is advisable as this parasite form thrives on light to grow much as does a plant. Velvet is a form of parasitic algae.

Medication(s)
Medications highly recommended for treating this illness are ones that are copper based. It is also advisable to use an additional anti-bacterial medication to help in treating secondary bacterial or fungal infections (red frayed fins, fin rot, gray cloudy eyes) commonly associated with Velvet.

Common medications that are often used are CopperSafe OR Maracide, used along with any “ONE” of the following in aid of preventing secondary infections: Maracyn-Two, Maracyn or Tetracycline Tablets.

Aquar-sol is also a recommended treatment for velvet. However, whether it is safe to use along with a secondary antibiotic is undetermined at this time.

View Healthy Betta’s Aquarium & Fish Medication Dosing Made Easy for simple 1-gallon fish tank medicine doses.

Additional Procedures
Added aeration may be beneficial for your betta while treating with medication to provide them with more oxygen.

Clean water is always important for a betta, but is especially beneficial for any betta facing an illness. You may find it helpful to change your betta’s water more frequently while you are treating with any medication.

Always keeping your betta warm, between 76-82 degrees F, will also help them to feel more comfortable and raise their immune system.