Betta looks a bit red... natural or sick?

[DancingBetta]

Hi everyone! My betta, Bilbo, has a reddish colored face. He didn’t used to, and I’m worried he has septicemia or something. He is acting normal, although he sleeps much more than he used too. He is older though. Any help in appreciated!

 

[DancingBetta]

Or is this natural?

 

[JemZ]

As always, I would suggest quarantining so as to avoid infecting other fish. @Colin_T may be able to shed more light

 

[Colin_T]

No point flagging me, I don't know what the fish looked like before the photos were taken.

What did the fish look like when you first got it?

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Septicaemia is blood poisoning caused by a bad bacterial infection spreading through the body. Your fish would be dead within 24 hours if it had that and it would not be eating or doing anything except laying on the bottom dying.

The only way your fish can get septicaemia is if it is kept in a really dirty tank and it gets a physical injury that allows bacteria to enter its body. Then the bacteria has to spread through the body and cause the blood poisoning.

Your fish does not have septicaemia.

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If you have a funny coloured light on the tank, turn that off and use a normal light when photographing fish so their colours look normal.

If you have a normal white light above the tank when you took the pictures, your fish is an unusual pink colour.

 

[DancingBetta]

No point flagging me, I don't know what the fish looked like before the photos were taken.

What did the fish look like when you first got it?

-------------------
Septicaemia is blood poisoning caused by a bad bacterial infection spreading through the body. Your fish would be dead within 24 hours if it had that and it would not be eating or doing anything except laying on the bottom dying.

The only way your fish can get septicaemia is if it is kept in a really dirty tank and it gets a physical injury that allows bacteria to enter its body. Then the bacteria has to spread through the body and cause the blood poisoning.

Your fish does not have septicaemia.

-------------------
If you have a funny coloured light on the tank, turn that off and use a normal light when photographing fish so their colours look normal.

If you have a normal white light above the tank when you took the pictures, your fish is an unusual pink colour.

Phew. The white is light, it’s just the camera. I don’t have a lot of pics of him, but here is the day I got him:

Hope this helps! Although knowing me I’m probably overreacting. ?

 

[DancingBetta]

I just remembered. I never posted about this because I wasn’t a member yet, but he didn’t use to have red on his forehead. Once I walked in and there was a bit of fuzz on his head. I figured I’d give it a day and monitor him, and the next day he was fine, except for a bit of red on his forehead. That was a few months ago but I didn’t worry because he was acting fine.

 

[Colin_T]

cant tell from the picture.

The most common cause of redness in and around the face/ head is an internal infection or virus (like a cold). The best treatment for these is cleaning the tank conditions up.

If in doubt do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week and see how it goes.

 

[DancingBetta]

Ok thanks