White/Cellophane Betta Developing Red Markings?

Hello! I am new to the forums. About a month ago, I bought a delta male. He was originally whitish/cellophane. (I have attached a photo of him when I first bought him.) However, he is developing red spots on his fins and his face. He is in a filtered tank with regular water changes. He is building bubble nests and is still active. Any information concerning his health and what to do would be greatly appreciated.

Hi! Armageddon marked beta get red spots on their tail and fins but not on their face. They are cellophane looking though. It could be a water quality issue. Are you aware of the nitrogen cycle and is your tank cycled? What are your water parameters? If your tank isn’t cycled then the red could be ammonia poisoning. In that case, do a large 70% water change immediately. Be sure to use dechlorinator. Let us know if the tank is cycled. If not, we can help you through it.

Thank you so much for the quick reply Deanasue! I’m not sure if the tank is completely cycled yet, it’s been just a little less than three weeks. I have been doing 25% water changes at the end of each week.

Deanasue said:

Hi! Armageddon marked beta get red spots on their tail and fins but not on their face. They are cellophane looking though. It could be a water quality issue. Are you aware of the nitrogen cycle and is your tank cycled? What are your water parameters? If your tank isn’t cycled then the red could be ammonia poisoning. In that case, do a large 70% water change immediately. Be sure to use dechlorinator. Let us know if the tank is cycled. If not, we can help you through it.

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It sounds as though you didn't cycle the tank before you got the betta - that involves adding ammonia to the tank and waiting till enough bacteria have grown.
After 3 weeks you should have grown some bacteria but probably not enough yet. I would start changing half the water every day and see what happens. Ideally you should be testing for ammonia and nitrite every day and doing a water change when either of them are above zero.




Can I add a word of caution - your tank looks as though it had a number of plastic plants. These tend to have rough edges or sharp points which can damage a betta's fins. Live plants or silk plants, if you want fake, don't run the same risk.

I agree with Essjay. You will need to do large water changes of 50-70% daily to keep ammonia down. Get a bottle of Tetra Safe Start+ to add some good bacteria and speed up the cycling process. Pour it directly into the filter. Keep the same filter cartridge, never change it unless it’s falling apart. You need to read on the aquarium nitrogen cycle and cycling a tank to better understand what we are talking about. With fresh water changes and the bottled bacteria, you should be fine. Good luck and please keep us posted.