Betta fish flashing but no other symptoms

[amil]

My plakat betta has been flashing for a month. i didnt know it could be a sign of flukes until today. i don’t know if he’s just been flashing in the last month or if i just didn’t notice it before then. its not every day and i haven’t seen him do it more than twice consecutively but ill be keeping a close eye on him to see if he does. he also doesn’t have any other symptoms- hes been eating good, making bubble nests, and acting like his normal energetic self. he doesn’t twitch at all and his skin, gills, and fins all look normal from what i can tell. he gulps air a lot but he’s always taken gulps of air this frequently (i’ve had him for 6 months.) i attached 2 pictures of him, one from 4 months ago and one from last week for comparison.
left- 4 months ago, right- last week

 

[bumblinBee]

It can be difficult to accurately diagnose flukes as causation, the symptoms are pretty generalized and flukes are microscopic, so unless you're able to do a skin scrape and examine it under a microscope, it'll be hard to confirm. Occasional scratching isn't abnormal in healthy fish, but if you've been seeing it enough to take note, then clearly it's happening a little too frequently for comfort.

I wouldn't jump into a med treatment just yet. Keep on top of his water quality and make sure he's getting a proper and varied diet. Anything you can do to reduce stress in his environment will help. Keep a close eye on it, and if the flashing increases in frequency or you start noticing other symptoms (redness and sores, excess mucus, gasping, lethargy, etc.) then move on to a treatment plan. As far as I know, the go-to for flukes is PraziPro.

 

[amil]

My plakat betta has been flashing for a month. i didnt know it could be a sign of flukes until today. i don’t know if he’s just been flashing in the last month or if i just didn’t notice it before then. its not every day and i haven’t seen him do it more than twice consecutively but ill be keeping a close eye on him to see if he does. he also doesn’t have any other symptoms- hes been eating good, making bubble nests, and acting like his normal energetic self. he doesn’t twitch at all and his skin, gills, and fins all look normal from what i can tell. he gulps air a lot but he’s always taken gulps of air this frequently (i’ve had him for 6 months.) i attached 2 pictures of him, one from 4 months ago and one from last week for comparison.
left- 4 months ago, right- last week

oh and another note, he only ever flashes against the amazon sword plant i’ve never seen him rub against anything else

My plakat betta has been flashing for a month. i didnt know it could be a sign of flukes until today. i don’t know if he’s just been flashing in the last month or if i just didn’t notice it before then. its not every day and i haven’t seen him do it more than twice consecutively but ill be keeping a close eye on him to see if he does. he also doesn’t have any other symptoms- hes been eating good, making bubble nests, and acting like his normal energetic self. he doesn’t twitch at all and his skin, gills, and fins all look normal from what i can tell. he gulps air a lot but he’s always taken gulps of air this frequently (i’ve had him for 6 months.) i attached 2 pictures of him, one from 4 months ago and one from last week for comparison.
left- 4 months ago, right- last week

been sitting by the tank since i posted this to keep an eye on him and he has just been flashing over and over i am much more worried now

 

[bumblinBee]

oh and another note, he only ever flashes against the amazon sword plant i’ve never seen him rub against anything else

been sitting by the tank since i posted this to keep an eye on him and he has just been flashing over and over i am much more worried now

What are your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate readings? Temperature, pH?

 

[amil]

What are your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate readings? Temperature, pH?

just tested!
temp: 76°
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
ph: 6.5
nitrate: 0

 

[bumblinBee]

just tested!
temp: 76°
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
ph: 6.5
nitrate: 0

I doubt the temperature has much to do with the flashing, but if you've got an adjustable heater I'd bump the temperature to somewhere between 78-80. Does the frequency of his flashing change after you've done a water change?

In response to your earlier post, he probably realized that it was less damaging to flash against the softer tissue of the sword vs something rough, like stone or wood, and that's why he's only been flashing against the plant.

 

[amil]

I doubt the temperature has much to do with the flashing, but if you've got an adjustable heater I'd bump the temperature to somewhere between 78-80. Does the frequency of his flashing change after you've done a water change?

In response to your earlier post, he probably realized that it was less damaging to flash against the softer tissue of the sword vs something rough, like stone or wood, and that's why he's only been flashing against the plant.

i don’t bump the heater up because he’s housed with african dwarf frogs! he doesn’t hang out by the heater though, which would be my sign that he’s cold as he did that for a couple days before i got a better heater a couple months ago. i did a water change and got him some frozen bloodworms to eat instead of the highly processed pellets after posting this even though the water parameters were good, and i haven’t seen him flash since. honestly he seems to flash most when he’s bored.

 

[awong918]

Do you know your kH and gH?

I unfortunately have had the misfortune of dealing with flukes with both of my last 2 bettas. Prazipro takes care of them, but it probably won't kill off every single fluke, at least if you follow the treatment regime suggested online (dose every week for 3-4 weeks). Good news is that after treatment, if your betta is healthy & in a good environment, his immune system should keep flukes suppressed. If flukes start acting up, then it's a symptom of a bigger issue.
I would treat the tank with PraziPro. I've hesitated before as well because I hate adding chemicals/medications to my tank, but once flukes take hold they don't just go away on their own. PraziPro is a relatively gentle medication, so you don't need to worry too much. If you see results within 2-3 days, then finish the rest of the treatment. Otherwise, it might not be flukes.