Rescued 2 Bettas abandoned at outdoor table today

[Candicem]

I have one Betta named Max that is the longest lived Betta we have ever had - two years next week!
This morning when my niece returned from her morning walk she saw two bettas in a tiny cup that had been placed on an outside table at her apartment complex. She texted me asking me if I wanted them. What was I going to say? No? And let them bake in the hot sun? Some LOSER had taken both of them and put them in this tiny cup and abandoned them in the hot sun. Karma will take care of that LOSER.
In the meantime, I got some Tetra FreshStart and took out a 3.5 gallon tank I had on hand and our makeshift 'hospital tank' and got them set up with substrate, a plant, and a hiding place. The hospital tank is a temporary fix for this rescue. Both fish have very short fins and they have what I'm going to call "sucker mouths". They are circles and they were not able to eat the pellets I bought for them. Because it was a dire situation, I could not wait for the tank to do a full cycle. I did the FreshStart, dechlorinator, and put the fish into different tanks this evening. They seem to be doing okay. One of them I was able to soak 2 pellets and feed him/her, the other I had to thaw some brine shrimp because he/she couldn't seem to eat even the soaked pellets. He was able to eat the brine shrimp.
Both bettas have tiny fins....I don't know if they were kept together and fought each other and that is the cause of their clipped fins, or if it was poor water, or a combination. Clearly, the LOSER who abandoned them just didn't care. I have both Maracyn and Kanaplex on hand. Should I start dosing them both tomorrow? Do you think their fins can grow back without meds? I will try to get a picture of their mouths tomorrow, but they are not normal Betta mouths. I fear they both have some sort of horrible sickness. BUT, they adapted readily to the tanks. I'm also wondering if I should put them both in one tank? They were not fighting in the small cup.....I'm wondering if they miss each other? If they are females that were housed together?

 

[targetfish]

Hi!
First of all, thank you so much for saving them!

I would not recommend housing them together, even if they were together previously. The green one looks to be a plakat which genetically has short fins, so I wouldn't worry if that one's fins don't change in length. As for the darker one, it looks to be possibly an elephant ear with torn/nipped fins.

Not quite sure what the "sucker mouths" are, maybe someone else can help with the medication side, but I'd advise not to dose meds unless it's for a clear reason (such as Ich or gill flukes) since they can stress the fish.

Good water quality via frequent water changes and not overfeeding but a quality diet should do the trick to restore them pretty quickly. Also make sure to upgrade them to at least 5 gallon tanks, preferably 10 gallons longterm but what they have now is alright. Their hides should be smooth and natural to avoid any more fin tearing and chemicals leaching into the water. Make sure to vaccuum the gravel too and test the water quality daily. A piece of indian almond leaf in each tank will have antimicrobial and antibacterial benefits, helping prevent finrot.

Assuming their tanks are heated and filtered too? Just checking cause a good environment will do wonders. Also make sure to monitor their behavior and condition. Dullness? Redness? Lethargy? Erratic swimming? etc.

 

[Candicem]

Hi!
First of all, thank you so much for saving them!

I would not recommend housing them together, even if they were together previously. The green one looks to be a plakat which genetically has short fins, so I wouldn't worry if that one's fins don't change in length. As for the darker one, it looks to be possibly an elephant ear with torn/nipped fins.

Not quite sure what the "sucker mouths" are, maybe someone else can help with the medication side, but I'd advise not to dose meds unless it's for a clear reason (such as Ich or gill flukes) since they can stress the fish.

Good water quality via frequent water changes and not overfeeding but a quality diet should do the trick to restore them pretty quickly. Also make sure to upgrade them to at least 5 gallon tanks, preferably 10 gallons longterm but what they have now is alright. Their hides should be smooth and natural to avoid any more fin tearing and chemicals leaching into the water. Make sure to vaccuum the gravel too and test the water quality daily. A piece of indian almond leaf in each tank will have antimicrobial and antibacterial benefits, helping prevent finrot.

Assuming their tanks are heated and filtered too? Just checking cause a good environment will do wonders. Also make sure to monitor their behavior and condition. Dullness? Redness? Lethargy? Erratic swimming? etc.

Thank you, Target from Australia!
I am an experience Betta owner, and we have a betta named Max that we've had for almost 2 years.
The bigger one seems to be the healthier one. I'm going to upgrade him. The little one doesn't seem to be able to eat. I have tried brine shrimp - he comes over and then ignores it. I tried pellets soaked to soften them. He ate one and then choked the second one out. I tried betta insect bites soaked in water and he didn't manage to get any of those. I'm at a loss because at this rate he's going to starve to death.
The other one also had issues with soaked insect bites and pellets, but was fine with a little brine shrimp and ate it right away both yesterday and today. I figure if they can't get soaked pellets or insect bites down, then bloodworms are out of the question.
Thoughts?
thanks,
Candice