The symptoms of velvet disease (also known as Gold Dust
disease) typically resemble that of whitespot.
The skin of a fish infected with velvet disease will look
like it has had a dark talcum powder sprinkled over it.
These spots that appear on the fish are actually small parasites.
Many times however the parasites are so small that you may
not even see them until it is too late. The scales are one
of the first areas that these parasites go after.
When velvet disease is first developing, the fish will
likely seem lethergic and move much less than they usually
do. You may also notice that the fish are having trouble
breathing. If you notice the fish rubbing against objects
in their aquarium this can also be a sign of velvet disease
as the fish are attempting to rub off the parasites from
their body.
These parasites rapidly multiply over the course of a few
days. Velvet disease must be treated immediately, especially
with younger fish. This is because younger fish have yet
to fully develop their immune systems. Older and healthy
fish may carry these parasites for a long time until they
cause noticable detrimental effects to the fish. Either
way you are always better off to remove the parasites immediately
to avoid any further health complications.
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