Red streaked bettas in bowls.. :/

[lelouchzeta]

Hello,
I have two female bettas that both have reddened gills and fins.
Because I just acquired them 2.5 days ago... they came in tiny cups with matching tiny bowls gee I wonder how many people will realize that is not enough living space!
Anyway, I ordered a 5 gallon fluval chi and it should arrive tomorrow. I am buying gravel and some java ferns tomorrow as well, and plan to move them in.
The ammonia in the two bowls before I did a 1/5-ish water change (they needed some more warm water) was between 0 and .25 ppm.
They seem sort of lethargic but that may just be a betta thing
0 nitrites and 0 nitrates..with a steady pH of 7.8~
I also bought them a leaf hammock so they could sprawl out near the surface anyway, my concern is that their health will be permanently impacted by the poor treatment they experienced (shipped by petco )
What can I do to get rid of the red streaks?
Also, one of them has horizontal dark stress lines....I feel pretty bad about that.
When should I expect them to start looking better? I ordered a heater and everything... excited to set it up but I'm afraid they'll suffer if I don't cycle the 5 Gallon tank first.
Any ideas?
Thanks...

 

[absolutangel04]

I think they will be better off in the 5g while its cycling than in the little cups. IMO, you may as well just put them into the 5g.
However, that bring up another issue. I don't personally think 5g is enough for 2 female bettas. I think if you try to keep them both in there they will eventually shred each other. I wouldn't try multiple female bettas in anything less than 20g tank personally. Some people say it can be done in a 10g, but a lot of people have tried that and had it backfire.
I suggest trying to find a different tank for one of them.

Oh, and to answer your question, they should start to perk up and look better within the span of a few days.

 

[lelouchzeta]

ah I am stupid. I have no idea where to put the second girl any ideas for an inexpensive 3-5 gallon tank with a filter?

 

[absolutangel04]

No, you aren't stupid. This is something there is a lot of info about and a lot of it also conflicts. I am just telling you what I know and have experienced/researched.
You can check get a 5g at WalMart with a filter for like $25 I believe. Its not as attractive as the the chi, but it would work. You can also check craigslist for used ones. PetCo has some other options, but some of them are more expensive than the WalMart one.

 

[Donkey Gun]

Always check Craigslist in your area.

I know it was already mentioned.. Just wanted to +1 that.

 

[VioletEmber]

And though I absolutely agree that two females can't live together in a 5g - if they are small they may get along ok while you get your second tank set up. I have two females in a 10 right now (long story) but they are fine with each other for now though I know their time together may be limited - and I have lots of plants in there too. I'm just saying that they might be happier together in the five than separate in the bowls. Just get that second tank going as quickly as you can so you can separate them if anything bad happens.

 

[VioletEmber]

Oh, and as for your original question about the streaks-- 9 times out of ten given clean water they will even out in color once they are settled in.

 

[absolutangel04]

And though I absolutely agree that two females can't live together in a 5g - if they are small they may get along ok while you get your second tank set up. I have two females in a 10 right now (long story) but they are fine with each other for now though I know their time together may be limited - and I have lots of plants in there too. I'm just saying that they might be happier together in the five than separate in the bowls. Just get that second tank going as quickly as you can so you can separate them if anything bad happens.

Good point. If they are tiny, they might be ok together for a little bit. But split them up asap.

 

[lelouchzeta]

Sigh. One of them is way bigger. I think I need to order another tank. Probably the walmart one (thanks for the hint btw)
There is a lot of conflicting information on the internet about this....I mean one website contradicted itself on the same page confusing!
I may buy the tank and filter and find a willing owner. I need to focus on my somewhat sickly BBG and at least one of the girls I am responsible for
I haven't decided yet. I'm fond of both of them and averse to giving one to someone who might not do PWC's or make sure her water is warm.

 

[absolutangel04]

Yeah, if one is way bigger I then I wouldn't risk it personally. Yes, I totally agree that there is a lot of conflicting info. I researched betta sororities for awhile and found lots of random generalizations, but actual successful experiences were much harder to find. People pretty mush agreed though that a bigger tank is better for trying to keep multiple females and the more females the better.
Let us know what you decide to do. Bettas are pretty rewarding to own. Lol.

 

[Freshie In Disguise]

I've kept lots of females together within the same tank, but all bettas are territorial to some extent, and I personally think that they need around 5 gallons each in order to sort out their territories. Naturally, some will be more aggressive than others, and if you luck out big time you might find two that will be peaceful and passive with eachother, but the risks are just too big for me to take. Also, the more "stuff" they have to check out / hide in, the less actual space they will need (to an extent). Betta 1 might claim the plastic castle while Betta 2 hangs out around the floating log, etc. Once they decide where there favorite areas are and establish who will live where, you won't need to worry as much about territorial sparring. The bigger the space between their territories, the safer they'll be.

 

[lelouchzeta]

I am still uncertain. I have the tank today, but I don't know whether to keep them both in it until I can get another tank by the middle of next week. I'm going shopping for plants and gravel today. I have a 1 gallon plastic POS tank that doesn't even have a filter (it was for my algae ball or something) so if they fight I can put one in there and do frequent water changes and keep it warm until I get another tank...
I think I'll do that. (Plop them together temporarily with a bunch of plants until I get another suitably sized tank for the second fish and be prepared to separate them if I see anything more aggressive than frilling and pouty behavior)

 

[absolutangel04]

There is no harm in trying it as long as you watch them closely and you can intervene if necessary, especially since you have a back-up plan.

 

[lelouchzeta]

I put them together and they have been sweet as can be with each other. I have seen some nudging but all they do is sort of slide past each other (I bet that would feel disgusting haha ) but they are very calm and not too territorial. They sort of follow each other around and poke at each other occasionally, but when I watch them they don't seem to be trying to escape each other. I'll continue to watch but they seem very docile.

 

[absolutangel04]

Thats good. Like I said, don't count on that working forever, but its good that they are ok right now.

 

[VioletEmber]

How is their color looking? Any changes?

 

[lelouchzeta]

Sorry for posting so many of just one of them but apparently I'm a lazy butt.
The other one is actually only slightly larger, and blue. The blue one is actually the one with the horizontal stripes and the more noticeably reddened gills, and that hasn't changed much since I JUST added them to the tank about 24 hours ago. The blue kiddo hangs out at the back of the tank but
<adoring blither>They come right up to me when I walk over to the tank and when I put my hand in to adjust the leaf hammock they swam over and were trying to nudge my hand and were being cute in general</adoring blither>
They seem happy, and they ate some pellets this afternoon They are surprisingly affectionate...they swim away from my boyfriend they'll get used to him. He was bonded with our sailfin molly that died

 

[absolutangel04]

She is looking ok. They both look pretty tiny, so they must both be pretty young. Good to know they are doing ok. I am sure they are liking being out of those cups.

 

[lelouchzeta]

Thanks for checking in
I'll update at some point with whatever happens

 

[lelouchzeta]

I separated them because of nipping. Yeah I know you told me so. the new tank should be here between monday and thursday. In the mean time, one betta is in a 1 gallon tank...without a filter hello, daily water changes.