I don't think it's finrot, he's just a funny colour. He's blown a nest and spends all day under it. Maybe he's just lazy. He's eating so he can't be that sick. His gills are brick red and he seems to be relying on breathing air an awful lot - will this settle down or is it permanent damage? He looks okay otherwise and doesn't seem upset.
Yeah, an expert isn't somebody who studies widely and has personal experience, they're just born All-Knowing.
It's a magical state of Being, conferred upon the blessed.
Modesty is good, though, looks well on everyone.
Going by the advice and info I've seen you give, I do regard you as an expert - not expected to be all-knowing, obviously, as nobody can be, but darned good.
(And thanks, ReMz, while I'm sure to win the Incoherency Stakes, I appreciate the kindly sentiment.
And you did make me feel a little better, though honestly, I scare myself sometimes - and it's getting worse...)
LauraFrog, if this helps any as reassurance, that and sympathy being about all I can offer:
I recently bought a tiny betta (sold as male but either a transvestite or a girl! who can go in my sorority when I finally get it going! and have a proper tank! instead of an emergency hex thing) who had such red colouration over her gills, I wasn't sure if it matched her fins or inflammation, although it looked raw to me and it's nearly all gone now.
I know I'm paranoid, so trying not to leap to conclusions, but the poor little thing looked dreadful - in a cute way, of course.
She still opens her little mouth the odd time, though haven't noticed her doing it lately, actually, but was doing it constantly before, and did seem to be surface breathing an awful lot when I first got her.
And I did think she'd never be quite normal...
Hard to tell with her, (she always likes to get up front as soon as you approach and look you in the eyes and she's so small) but she didn't seem to have any gill flaps, almost looked slashed front and back of the gill area, and I thought she had deformities but I'm beginning to wonder, it may be just with the red gone but it looks almost as though the little flaps are growing in or not as bad as I'd thought - doesn't look so odd, anyway.
It doesn't help the hex is on a shelf so the angle of vision's limited, and she tends to follow your face around, too.
If she'd ever stay sideways and still for a moment maybe I could see better, though not long ago she hardly moved at all, so...
And she's often checking around her little world now, swimming through plants and poking about, when I first come up, something she didn't do before.
She's getting so active now, but it's taking time.
She was sleepy-eyed and seemed to have tiny eyes and hardly moved and I was scared of major gill damage which I've never dealt with before, but she's so much better now.
I still can't believe her eyes look not just that much more alert but that much bigger.
But it's taken time...
Don't know, of course, but we do know bettas heal astonishingly well and fast, given decent conditions and food, because they have to, to survive all the brawling they tend to do.
With any luck, your new guy's just resting and healing, although he's been through a lot, obviously, and it's taking my new little girl a long time at a gradual improvement visible daily.
But it does sound to me as though, apart from the chewed-off fins (mine had hers in rags, but also had black indicating finrot, and ich as well) they both underwent similar bad conditions, in her case, (since my LFS doesn't do the betta-filthy-water-thing or the tiny cup) maybe a long time in transit, soaking in ammonia?
And since he's eating and even bubblenesting maybe, like mine, there will just be a long, slow recovery.
It's such a worry, wondering if there's something you should/shouldn't do.
But it does sound familiar, and I suspect he'll be just fine, given time.
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I'm not alone 
