# New betta has red spots on head, and curled/clamped fins?



## Mollzo (Aug 7, 2011)

I got a new betta on monday, and when I got him, he had the red spots on his body, and his fins are clamped and curled. And his gills are bright red. I held up a mirror to see if he showed interest, and he did, but he couldn't flare up completely. Do you think he's super sick? Or is he just stressed from going from the petstore to where he is now? Any Advice is greatly appreciated!!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

What color is he? A lot of paler colored bettas have reddish spots on their heads. My red Cambodian has a big red "toupee" on his head. He is probably just stressed. It can take new bettas anywhere from an hour to a week to adjust to their new home.


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## Mollzo (Aug 7, 2011)

Sakura8 said:


> What color is he? A lot of paler colored bettas have reddish spots on their heads. My red Cambodian has a big red "toupee" on his head. He is probably just stressed. It can take new bettas anywhere from an hour to a week to adjust to their new home.


He's kinda of a weird colouring to him. He's got a white body, with blue fins that have a purpleish-pink hue to them, almost holographic. It's pretty sweet to see. I mean, he eats and swims fine, but it's those red spots that concern me the most. I don't want to have to wake and see and belly up, and I constantly check in on him during the day.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Can you get a pic of those spots? And are the spots raised at all? How big are they? It sounds like your guy is a blue Cambodian.


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## Mollzo (Aug 7, 2011)

I tried, but my camera sucks, and they were all blurry  But some of the spots seemed to have disappeared over night, but it looks like circles, just the perimeter, nothing in the center of it. And I tried the mirror trick, and his fins aren't as clamped

But here's a pic off of Facebook for his fins










Hoping it works. If not, here's the link to it

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...0333882150660.396995.614775659&type=1&theater


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yeah, it's really hard to take pics of bettas. I get blurry butt shots of mine all the time. 

It's weird, it almost sounds like your betta has ringworm. I would keep an eye on those spots, see if any more develop or disappear. If they haven't all gone after a day or two, you might want to start a fungal medicine. 

It's pretty normal for a betta to clamp his fins during the first few days in a new home. Since he's flaring, that's a good sign. I think once he settles in his fins will open up more.


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## Mollzo (Aug 7, 2011)

Fish can get ring worm? Huh, didn't know that. But yeah, his fins have spread apart, and he is starting a bubble nest  Which makes me happy. I'm glad its nothing super serious, though


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I really didn't think fish could get ringworm either but I guess if they can get other fungal diseases, it makes sense they can get ringworm too.


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

I'm glad he's doing better.  He sounds really cute!


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## Mollzo (Aug 7, 2011)

Yeah, I held up the mirror, and he flared, except for the very tip of his dorsal fin and the two bottom from fins, but he's eating like a champ, so I guess it was just stress, and hopefully the 50% water changes that I'm doing daily will help the red spots on him. But is there anything I can do to prevent diseases in the future?


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## Mollzo (Aug 7, 2011)

Comet1993 said:


> I'm glad he's doing better.  He sounds really cute!


Thanks! He is really cute! I didn't want to have to exchange him for a healthy one :$


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Clean, warm water is the best way to prevent disease. Also feeding a good high-protein diet with lots of live or frozen foods helps. And if, in the future, you get another betta and you decide to divide a tank, it's a good idea to keep the new betta isolated in his own tank for at least a week before introducing him into a shared tank.


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## Mollzo (Aug 7, 2011)

I do a half water change every day, and add conditioner to it, and I make sure the water is warm, but not too hot as well. I feed him the flakes that came with the kit. I just wish I knew what the red things are, and how to treat them  But thank you for all the help


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

If he ever slows down long enough, a pic would be helpful. Post back if the spots spread, become raised, or turn a different color. Or if his behavior changes and he won't eat, becomes lethargic, bloated, or can't swim properly. Your water change schedule sounds great.


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## Mollzo (Aug 7, 2011)

Sure, I'll see if I can get a good one without blitzing anything. Its hard though  But it looks as though the red things are just below the surface of the scales. And his gills are super red...


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Does he look like he's breathing really hard? Red gills are healthy and normal. Because the blood vessels are so close to the surface in gills, the tissue looks really red. Time to worriy is when the gills seem inflamed and he's breathing hard, or when the gills are grayish, whitish, pale pink, or *gulp* black.


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## Mollzo (Aug 7, 2011)

Oh, okay! Thanks. I'm sorry if I seem a little paranoid, I just get a little obsessive when it comes to a new pet 8) But he's doing fine, haven't checked on him yet today, except for afar just to see if he still swimming and hasn't gone belly up, in which he hasn't haha. But thank you for your help


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

You're welcome. And don't worry, we all get paranoid and worry about our betta babies.  I'm a total worrywart when it comes to mine so I understand. I'm glad he's still swimming around.


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## Mollzo (Aug 7, 2011)

Oh good. I started a trend  I posted pictures of mine on Facebook, and one of my friends really liked it, so she decided to go get one her own  Beautiful crown tail. And she knows of the site, so I hope she comes here for all her questions


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Awesome, you're infecting people with the betta bug. If she comes to the forum, I'm happy to help.


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