I was gonna buy a calico yesterday at my lfs but its gill seems abit red. Is there anything wrong with it? It seems very active and no other sign of illness.

Was the redness on the outside?? like on the gill plate? Some calico fish have this.

It was under the gill

So I was gonna get it today is it alright to buy it.

Let me tell you something. I am currently dealing with a pearscale in full blown dropsy who had developed pinkish blotches behind the gills shortly after I bought her about 1 month ago and I just dismissed it as "just coloration" no big deal. Can I tell you for certain whether I would've been able to stop the sickness completely if I had treated it back when I was seeing very minor signs that could've been treated? No, but it's a good bet I could've. And is it something to be concerned about. I dismissed the pink coloration and look what happened. One thing I have learned about this ordeal with my poor fish right now is to never dismiss even the least little sign. So, yes, from my experience, it is not something to be dismissed and should be taken seriously and unless you are prepared to go through a month of quarantine and treatment, I would suggest not putting yourself through it.

Thanks for the info I'll keep looking around.

I agree be careful about buying afish with something amiss to start but gills should be red -and meaty looking. Think of fresh bright red blood. That's the color they should be. Blotchy is not good nor is pink and pale or brown is worst. Look for meaty red gills with no tears or ragged edges.