# Betta turning Yellow/Gold around the Gills



## newbie32 (Mar 28, 2011)

Housing 
What size is your tank? 10 gal
What temperature is your tank? 76
Does your tank have a filter? yes, not currently using it because medication directions said not to
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Is your tank heated? yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Bettamin Flakes and some bloodworms. Though, he hasn't been eating at all. He did eat the flakes before he boycotted food altogether. I bought the bloodworms to see if he would start eating those. He never did. I really think he just isn't eating because he's sick, not because he doesn't like the food. 
How often do you feed your betta fish? once a day

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? once a week, though I've been doing it a little more because I think he's sick
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 1/4-1/3
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? water conditioner and a buffer for right now

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia: 
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
pH: 8
Hardness: Very Hard
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Well, King Fishy and I have had a few rounds. First he was just fine in his water. Then he started acting lethargic. Then he was barely moving. Then he stopped eating. Then there were specks showing up on him. The specks are now gone since I started treating him with meds. Now he is turning a yellow/gold/green around his gills and on the small fins on the bottom of his body by his gills (obviously do not know proper fin terms). BUT, he is moving more today. I walked up to the tank this morning and he flared up at me. He hasn't done that in days. Then he swam pretty rapidly to the top to blow a bubble and get some air. He kind of drifted back to the bottom and knocked into his castle. Almost like he couldn't or didn't care to control his way down to the gravel. When he got to the gravel he swam a little bit to get himself situated where he wanted to be. He's now just laying there. Looks better than he did though. 
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Yes, took the carbon out of the filter and have been giving him two tabs of Jungle Lifeguard every 24 hours. Those were the directions on the package. I still have a couple more days to go. I have also been using a buffer to slowly bring down the pH and have been slowly phasing in water that isn't as hard as the water I was using. I think the water started this stress in the first place and now he is falling prey to illness I can't diagnose. 
Does your fish have any history of being ill?Problems since I've got him. I've been bothering this forum just about everyday regarding King.
How old is your fish (approximately)? Almost 3 weeks since I've had him. Who knows how long he was at Petco.

Does anyone know why he would be turning yellowish gold? Should I keep him on the Jungle Lifeguard since it appears to be working?


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## Abby (Jan 13, 2011)

Lol what kind of fish is he? Tail type and colour
sounds to me like he's marblig - just changing colour


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## Abby (Jan 13, 2011)

Edit: marbling silly iPod lol

ok as for colour change it's common and I think that's all that's going on here's my example of a marbling female hm


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## Abby (Jan 13, 2011)

Because my iPod has a mind of it's own here's the URL not link

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=67151


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## newbie32 (Mar 28, 2011)

He's a veil tail, I think. He was the cheapest betta type they had at Petco. His little tub didn't even have a label on it. His body is either black or a really really dark blue. His tail and fins are a medium blue that fades out into an almost teal/aqua blue color by the end. It's very pretty. But now his gills and the small fins under his body by the gills are turning that green/yellow/gold color.


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## Abby (Jan 13, 2011)

Post pics - just cause i wanna see him - especially the colour change sections I don't know bout him marbling on that sense as my hm lady cause she's light coloured he isn't lol


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## newbie32 (Mar 28, 2011)

All I have is a camera on my phone. I've had bad luck taking pictures of him. I tried to get pictures of the specks, but it didn't work out. I'll try again and hopefully I can get a good enough picture for people to see.


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## newbie32 (Mar 28, 2011)

Ok, I have attached pictures. Hopefully this will work? The first one is King before he was sick. The next two were taken today. Note the green starting on the bottom fins and how is underbelly is turning kind of a reddish white color.


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## newbie32 (Mar 28, 2011)

It's really hard to see in the pictures, but his belly is turning almost white. It's kind of like he is fading. But his tail is still really bright. I've read in other posts that color changes can be a sign on illness or stress. I'm trying hard to not stress lil dude out, but I want to make sure he's being medicated properly.


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## wanabegoodmom (Apr 6, 2011)

Does the yellow/gold look like a fine gold or rust mist? It sounds like it could have velvet to me. A betta with velvet will act sick, so look for clamped fins, scratching against rocks/gravel/tank, loss of appetite, loss of color etc...

My fish got that and I treated it with Quick Cure. The brand isn't so important but it's for "fast relief of ick and protozoan parasites. It's a very small bottle and it's green. The active ingredients are formalin and malachite green. Anyway, that cleared up my Sammy's velvet quickly when he had it.


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## newbie32 (Mar 28, 2011)

Occassionally he lays will the his body curved and tight. Like his whole body is clamping. What do you mean by mist? Like he's been dusted with something? That's what it reminds me of, a goldish dusting. I don't know if the Lifeguard stuff I'm using will help. The active indgredients in mine are as follows: 1-CHLORO-2,2,5,5-TETRAMETHYL-4-IMIDAZOLIDINONE. I copied that right off the box. Should I get something will formalin and malachite green instead?


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## newbie32 (Mar 28, 2011)

also, i have not noticed him rubbing up against anything. he really just doesn't move much at all.


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## Abby (Jan 13, 2011)

the gold "rust" dusting would be n all over thing not a scale colour changing


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## newbie32 (Mar 28, 2011)

But is it his scales changing? If there is no reason to worry, then good. Will velvet kill a fish? Will the treatment kill him? Perhaps it's better to treat it and he not have it than to not treat it and he have it? I really don't know. I really wish I could get a better picture for you all!


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## wanabegoodmom (Apr 6, 2011)

Yes, the gold dusting is velvet. It can kill him if not treated. What does your Lifeguard medication say it treats? Any kind of description or list of diseases will be helpful. If it says it treats velvet, I would just keep using it and give it time.


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## Abby (Jan 13, 2011)

wanabegoodmom: the op said its his scales changing colour so not likely velvet. 

it sounds just as if the fish is deciding to change colour a little.


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## newbie32 (Mar 28, 2011)

Velvet is not listed. It says ick, fungus, red streaks, mouth and fin rot, ulcers, bacterial gill disease, and clamped or torn fins. I'm worried I'm just making something out of nothing because he's acting so strange. Here is another picture:


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## newbie32 (Mar 28, 2011)

It's hard to see, but the gold looks like dust brushed onto the scales around the gills. However, on his side and the belly, it doesn't look like a dusting at all. It just looks like he is turning a reddish white color. Or maybe losing his color there. His fins sticking down below his head are also turning red with some bright yellow/green/gold where the fin attaches to the body.


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## newbie32 (Mar 28, 2011)

and if he is just changing colors, WHAT ON EARTH IS WRONG WITH HIM!!!!! this fish is a mystery!


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## Abby (Jan 13, 2011)

lol bettas like to keep us in suspense

Look at this thread and find the pics i posted you will see what i mean

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=67259


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## newbie32 (Mar 28, 2011)

That settles it, I'm finishing his recommended dose of medication for the specks he used to have. Then I'm doing a water change (as recommended) and adding a tankmate. Maybe he needs a friend to play with.


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## wanabegoodmom (Apr 6, 2011)

Be careful with your choice of tankmate. I suggest you ask someone at the pet store who is knowledgeable about bettas or ask on here first. There aren't many species that are a good fit for bettas, you don't want it too aggressive since bettas aren't fast swimmers, and you don't want something the betta will eat. Then you have to get something that likes the same temperature and have a heater to make sure it stays in that range. It's all too complicated/too much work for me so I never got my Sammy a play mate. Good luck in finding him a perfect friend.


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## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

If you suspect your betta is ill and cannot diagnose the issue, then you should not be adding a tankmate.
Bettas are solitary animals who prefer to live alone. He does not need a "friend".

Many types of suitable tankmates for that 10 gallon do not fare well with some of the medications you are using. Platys and cats cant deal with salt, snails cant deal with copper, etc. Wait until your fish has gotten better for at least a few weeks. There is no sense in possibly hurting the other fish or stressing your current fish out more by adding tank mates at this time.


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## Abby (Jan 13, 2011)

Easy on P3


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## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

Abby said:


> Easy on P3


What?


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## Abby (Jan 13, 2011)

your a little sharp edged today. thats all
your info is right but a little tenderness never hurt noone


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## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

Uh. No, it was a fine post, and it was executed just as well.

Sharp or not, its right like you said.

OP, I do hope you take that advice and wait- to avoid injuring or exposing other fish to what your betta may have.


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## iheartmybettas (Jan 31, 2011)

I would agree you should wait until he starts acting totally normal again. You don't want to risk harming the other fish. 

Sorry he is having so many crazy things happen! They can keep us guessing at times. He seems like an extra challenging one but like I have said before he probably came to you with something wrong. You are doing a good job trying your best to help him.


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