Sitemaps

My betta has a red headis this normal2007-11-24 23:33:59

I got my first betta fish, Stix, a few weeks ago as a birthday gift and so far things have gone.swimmingly ;) I have him on my desk at work beside me all day and I play with him, keep his water fresh and clean, feed him.etc. I come in every morning to big fresh new bubblenests, he seems happy!

So to get to my dilemma.I have become concerned that Stix may have some sort of scale disease.he is a beautiful turquoise with gorgeous pink tips on his fins, his color is very vibrant and shiny everywhere but his head. Since I got my little Stix ( believe he was purchased from Walmart, blah!) he has had a dull reddish..something over basically his whole head, a little bit trails down his back to his top fin but its very minimal. I am wondering if this is normal.all the pictures I see of bettas they seems to have even color all over, could this just be a strange color pattern unique to him? Or is this something I should be worried about and buying something for?

Answers:

This is not a normal betta coloration, but not unheard of . Most breeders would consider this a fault and not breed the betta. Most breeders go for a solid color, but there are bi, tricolored lines. There are a few breeders like Faith who have red headed strains. Pet store bettas are mutts and tend to have a mix of blue and red, but I've seen solid red, and blue. Even a white or 2.

My concern is if this is a new color change or an existing. Colors should deepen a little, or brighten, but remain mostly the same past the 1st year of life. (Store bettas are 6 months to a 1 year old.) If could also be velvet. (Shine a flash light on your betta in a darkened room. If you see a redish/gold mist on the scales it's velvet.)

---

Aww that is soo sweet. No your beta is very normal, Its not very common for alot of betas to be just one color. I have a beta, who I named Baby Dragon cause he is/was all read, but he suddenly started changing blue on both sides of him. None the less he is very normal and healthy. Typical of betas to change.

---

You keep his water clean..feed him..etc. Everything is fine with him. Beta Fish are very tough. They can live for a long time..make sure your Beta stays in a nice calm environment.no water filter or the likes, because they inhale air from the surface..not underwater. I wished I had a Beta with that color combination. Mine is yellow, but she is still very young.maybe other colors will appear. I had a blue male Beta before.he lived for a long time.. they are so easy to take care of. They even survive a week-end without food..and you don't really have to change the water that often either.

---

Since Stix is normal in every other way, I wouldn't worry too much. However, to ease your conscience, find a really good pet store with knowledgeable people and take him in so they can look at him. Sometimes pet loving high school Biology teachers can help you out if you take the time to call around.

---

It's common. I've seen bettas that have black heads, white body, and odd color fins.