Fin Rot: How Quick?

[Luanda Pym]

Hi All,
My male swordie had some kind of growth on his lower lip, which i now think was damaged tissue, this has now healed well and he is fine.
One of my female swordie's has developed fin rot! I've read up on this through the forum and nowhere does it say how quick this is to erode the fin. I only ask as Wednesday her fin was fine, but Thursday her fin has 3/4 gone, this morning (Firday)it has a fluffy white growth on it which is the fin rot. Thursday night I treated with a general tonic as i couldn't catch her, but will buy some anti fungal/bacterial treatment tonight from the LFS.
I'm wondering if another fish has bullied her and nipped her fin into this state and thats allowed the fin rot to take hold, and would account for the very rapid disappearance of the fin.
Is it possible that fin rot itself could have eaten the fin that quickly.
If she loses the fin completely what should I do? Would she be ok with only one pectoral fin?
I tried to catch her and remove her from the tank last night, but she was manourverable enough to evade capture several times and i figured that stressing her out by repeated removal attempts would be worse than letting nature take its course. So i thought i'd see how she faired overnight.
Other than her missing appendage she seems fine this morning, she's not gasping or hanging at the surface.
Water stats on Thursday night when i first noticed the damage were:
pH 7.6-7.8
Nitrates 40ppm
Nitrites 0.2
Ammonia 0
temp 79F
No other fish seem affected yet but i'm keeping a close eye and as i say will treat whole tank tonight with anti fungal/bacterial treatment.
We do weekly 20% water changes and hoover the gravel at the same time. Last one done on Sunday, next one will be done Saturday morning.
Can anyone give me an idea of what's going on with the very fast fin disappearance?
All the best
Lu
These Swordies were only bought last Sunday.
I'm currently in the process of buying a QT tank to prevent the unknown ailments of new fish from contaminating my whole tank.
Learning the hard way!
After reading on the forum how unreliable tablet test kits are i'm going to take my water to the LFS to have it tested there. bet thats the problem!! how can i know if i can't SEE!!

 

[WILDER]

If the fin has a fluffy white growth on it it sounds like columnaris to me with a secondary infection of finrot, not the writer of this information below.
Columnaris (a.k.a. Mouth Fungus)



Symptoms:

An infected fish will have off-white to gray cotton-like patches on the head, fins, gills, body and particularly the mouth. In time, these areas will develop into open sores. Gill swelling may occur, gill filaments may stick together and excessive mucus may develop in the gill area. Rapid breathing can be seen. Fins may deteriorate to the point of leaving the fin rays bare. Muscles may be inflamed and capillaries may rupture. Fish, particularly livebearers, may exhibit "shimmying". Infection may be acute (killing an infected fish within hours), or chronic (lingering for several days before eventually killing the fish). As with most diseases, not all symptoms need be present.



Cause:

The bacterium Flexibacter columnaris.



Treatment:

Ensure that your water conditions (e.g., Ammonia, Nitrite, pH, Nitrate levels, and water temp.) are within their proper ranges. If not, perform a water change and/or treat the water accordingly. Recommended medications include: Furanace, Fungus Eliminator, Fungus Cure, Furacyn, Furan-2, Triple Sulfa, E.M. Tablets, Tetracycline, or Potassium Permanganate. Medicated foods are also recommended. Columnaris can be highly infectious and may quickly kill all aquarium inhabitants; therefore, early treatment is essential. All fish, including those not yet showing visible symptoms, as well as the aquarium they inhabit should be treated.

 

[WILDER]

Also you have a slight nitrite readings so i would preform a water change.

Also not the writer of this information below.
Fin Rot



Symptoms:

Fish may have deteriorating fins, often with red or white edges. Secondary Fungal infections often occur.



Cause:

Bacterial infection caused by Aeromonas and/or Pseudomonas bacteria often precipitated by poor water quality, low water temperatures, or a combination of both.



Treatment:

You will first want to determine the specific cause of the illness, so check your water’s quality Ammonia, Nitrite, pH, and Nitrate levels as well as the temperature. Be sure to provide optimal water conditions and the correct water temperature for the species of fish you are keeping. Treat with Kanacyn, Tetracycline, Furacyn, Nitrofura-G or Penicillin. Basically, you want an antibiotic specific for Aeromonas and Pseudomonas bacteria. The use of a medicated food is also wise. Treat the fish in isolation (i.e., quarantine tank) if only one fish is sick. If not, the whole tank should be treated. In either case, water conditions must be improved and proper temperature maintained for all fish. Adding salt to the water may be helpful.

The success rate for treating Fin Rot is good providing the illness is caught early and water conditions are kept optimal. Left untreated this infection can be deadly. Early treatment is essential! Once treated, fin tissue lost to this illness will grow back providing the fin rays and/or fin bases have not been damaged.

 

[Luanda Pym]

Well, i've carried out a 30% water change and nitrite levels are 0 now but all other stats are the same even when tested with a new tank master liquid set. but will carry out daily checks of the water. I'm currently on the 3rd day of 7 day treatment with Pimafix which says it's good for fin rot but doesn't mention how effective it is for columnaris. The fin has cleared up now and the fin rays are still intact so i'm hoping she'll recover.
Thanks for all the help.
Please let me know if this Pima based treatment is unsuitable and i'll get some specialised antibiotics.

 

[WILDER]

If the med dosn't clear the columnaris up, do a water change of 30% add carbon and run for a few hours, remove carbon then add anti internal bacteria med by interpet, good luck.