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[unissuh]

Heres one I thought I'd see if anyone has suggestions for:

Timeline:
- Bought 4 Sphaerichthys vaillanti 4 weeks ago, they were quite cramped in a 14L bucket for a couple of weeks, all were looking good and eating NLS pellets well.
- Transferred to a small ~23L tank 2 weeks ago, all still looking good.
- Day or two after, one had a little white lesion on the side of it's head, like a scale was missing, guessing from a hierarchical confrontation. Started becoming a bit reclusive.
- 6 days ago the original lesion had grown slightly & it'd lost a scale on it's flank too. I started to worry about it not healing. Had also heard from a friend who had purchased some from the same batch of fish who had one drop dead apparently from a lesion that never healed. Also noted that tetracycline didn't help.
- 5 days ago separated the one with the lesion back into the bucket and started a kanamycin/metronidazole course. Fish died that night, no real symptoms besides the lesion and the fact that I did notice it preferred to turn towards it's right the last time I checked it, perhaps sign of a neurological infection/anomaly? Didn't think too much about it at the time.
- 2 days ago, one more developed a lesion on it's side and become a bit reclusive, again I think it was from a hierarchical confrontation. Had a little red in the middle of it, which means it's infected. Have moved it back to the bucket (it has been cleaned since last use). Started kanamycin, thought it might simply be a matter of catching it earlier but I note no improvement over two days. Probably is kanamycin resistant too whatever it is.

I have done water parameter monitoring and in all tanks ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are/were all 0 as per (in date) API kits - plenty of mosses and/or duckweed around to soak up ammonia and nitrate. pH is ~6.4, GH is ~1, KH is <1, using plenty of IALs, water is a light tea color from the tannins. Unfortunately didn't take a picture of the first before I disposed of it and the second is a bit reclusive to get a good shot.

Some additional thoughts:
- Not even sure if the lesion is connected to sudden death.
- Might not be bacterial even, quite surprising it's kanamycin resistant. I haven't wormed these but I probably will once I get past this problem.
- Could be Mycobacterium, but from my limited experience with suspected Myco cases there is usually a lot more wasting involved, not something that tends to just pop up in a wound.
- Talked to a couple of vets that I know, the suggestion of trying Baytril has been raised, worth noting vets here do squat-all fish treatment/diagnosis. Again, not sure whether it's bacterial but if it's Baytril resistant, thats probably a sign to euthanise and sterilise the tanks.
- Guessing I don't have much time, doesn't seem to be any real (systemic) symptoms before death. Would like to save this one, don't really want to be left with a dominant/sub-dominant pair of gourami.

So, open to ideas and suggestions on this one.
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Fishing in the Rivers of Light