# Velvet... or just iridescent?



## plasticspaceman (Oct 20, 2012)

Hi there. I rescued a couple of bettas from a Craigslist ad about a week ago... and one of them looks pretty rough (he lived life as a decoration in a vase, apparently). I'm pretty sure he's a half-giant veiltail (he's about 3.5 not including fins), and he's pinkish with green/red fins. Just a strange looking little fella.

Anyway, his fins are clumped together and curled on the ends, and he's got red/black specks on his head. It took him four days to eat anything, and even then was not much. I thought he had velvet, because he has a gold shimmer all over his body and fins, and he was darting/flashing some. I am treating his hospital tank with CopperSafe, and he seems better. His fins have opened a teeny bit, but he's still pearly. 

How long does it take the gold-dust to go away with Velvet? It is possible he is just pearly/iridescent?


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## Shirleythebetta (Jan 9, 2012)

I looks like irid. to me. Some bettas have a natural gold sheen. I think velvet is gold spots. It looks like ich and is treated like ich but instead of white the spots are gold and smaller. I think what you are doing is amazing and right. He may be acting funny because he is adjusting to having clean and healthy water and a diet. You check velvet by shining a flashlight on him.


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## Shirleythebetta (Jan 9, 2012)

Here's a link with pics of velvet

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/fish_palace/tropicalfish_disease_identification.html#Velvet


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## plasticspaceman (Oct 20, 2012)

I did the flashlight test, and there are pretty prominent gold areas in the ribs of his fins. And his whole body shines gold. It seems like too much gold to be velvet. The CopperSafe will treat the ich, too, and he seems a little better today. How long should I keep him quarantined? My plan is to move the two of them and one of my old buddies to a divided 20g long tank. But I don't want whatever disease Jack has to affect his condo neighbors.

The other rescue, Shamus, had some obvious ich on his fins, but he was in much better shape overall, loves to eat, and rallied in a day or so after I got him moved. He even made a bubble nest today. =)


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## Shirleythebetta (Jan 9, 2012)

Sometimes they will develop just gold around the gills. He doesn't look like he has any ich/velvet at all. Most people quarantine for two weeks to a month I think. Don't quote me on that. But if the other has ich I am not sure. Ich symptoms can go away are return pretty rapidly because of the growth stages of ich. You could post another thread in the diseases section explaining your situation and what type of tank they are going to go in. Another alternative would be to PM a moderator. Any of them will point you in the right direction. I wish I could help you more but all of my boys are in their own tanks and alone all the time so there wasn't much of a need for a quarantine. I have a sorority, for them if they show no signs of illness for 3-4 weeks I add them. I haven't had any issues with disease in my sorority that way.


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## plasticspaceman (Oct 20, 2012)

Here's one of Jack from a few days ago, when his gold-ness was more pronounced. I really appreciate the response. =)


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## Shirleythebetta (Jan 9, 2012)

No problem at all. I wouldn't worry too much. Remember that betta's kept in poor conditions and then brought into good conditions will often change color. Keep watching it could get interesting.


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## DoctorWhoLuver (Feb 23, 2012)

I think it's iridescent; two of my bettas recently got velvet ( they're all better now^-^) and its pretty obvious, it literally looks like gold dust.


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## bettaparadise (Oct 20, 2012)

I got a betta that has the grainy orangish dots on him, which eventually lead me to think velvet (never had a fish get parasites), but it really doesn't look a whole lot like the pictures. It's concentrated more around the bases of his fins, but now that I'm looking at the picture again (third time's a charm, right?) I'm noticing a real fine amount over the rest of him. Mostly. He's got a plain spot on his side. It finally makes sense. Now to just figure out what to treat him with.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

irisescence at base of fins is somewhat normal... velve is a fast kiler if not caught and treated on time....


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## DoctorWhoLuver (Feb 23, 2012)

@bettaparadise - 
With mine, if you looked from the front of the betta under bright light, you could see what looked like dust sticking to his sides XD I literally freaked out when I saw it, and his fins were sticking together, plus, the fact that he was blind didn't help much :O 
If it is velvet; I treated my two betta's tanks with Aquarium Salt and then used Pond Ich+ (for ponds, but it did the trick). It also helps to do 75% to 100% water changes everyday. I also kept them in the bathroom since the parasites need light to survive.


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## bettaparadise (Oct 20, 2012)

Thank you for the suggestions. He never had the iridescent orange before, so it has to be from velvet. He just looked weird when I was feeding him, almost like he was lightening up in spots. Betta vitiligo, I guess would describe it. When the light is on him, and he hates that light with a raging passion, it was definitely orange dusty stuff. I have to go out and get him some stuff, since I didn't find my answer until around 2 AM, but his treatment will start today. I'm hoping to find some that is snail-safe, because whoever said bettas are slow swimmers have never met my betta. I think he's half cheetah, he goes so darn fast. I can't catch him to get him out.


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## DoctorWhoLuver (Feb 23, 2012)

Good luck with him!!


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

buy the medicine. but I would suggest to not treat your fih until it begins flashing. Velvet is one of those thibgs that are so commonly misdiagnosed. Since the treatment for velvet contains copper. it will do more harm than good if he doesn't have it...


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