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Excellent news! I had originally included some additional information in my other post on columnaris before redacting it, but I thought it might useful to re-include it here for some additional contextual information for future use (and apologies if I've repeated myself anywhere). Flexibacter...

Apologies! My edited post was rather unclear: it was not directed at you. My original post was somewhat long and not directly on topic (i.e. the care of your fish), and so I decided to edit it out to ensure that the thread can stay on track with minimal disruption.

Edit: On second thought, perhaps this thread has been sufficiently derailed.

I was not the only contributor to this thread who disagreed with your interpretation: others, too, did not interpret the gross pathology as an anchor worm infection.

I won't attempt to address all of what you have written (some of which was clearly inflammatory and exceptionally discourteous) out of courtesy to the OP since I think we have derailed this thread sufficiently. I think the underlying problem is that you have a fundamental misunderstanding of...

Many thanks to the OP for uploading additional photos. I agree that I wouldn't interpret it as a copepod ("anchor worm") infection: the white tendril simply seems to be the epithelium (cuticle, mucus, goblet cells, etc.) sloughing off either in response to infection or trauma. Moreover, the...

That would be helpful: it is difficult to determine the texture (fine haired tufts vs slimy tendrils) of the growth.

Using pH as a specific example: the issue is that a lot of "facts" (and I use the term very loosely) are simply anecdotes that are circulated uncritically in the hobby. Eventually, over time, these anecdotes accrete a veneer of "truth" simply by virtue of how many times they are repeated. From...

It's quite difficult to make generalisations as each tank is quite different. From the posts on this forum, the vast majority (>90%) of the threads in which people seek guidance on signs of poor growth or plant death are usually associated with significant deficits in nutrition. Partially this...

I generally prefer any of the various Cryptocoryne spp. (e.g. wendtii) since their growth requirements are very basic, and that their maintenance requirements are quite minimal on account of their slow growth. If a number are planted in close proximity, they can provide quite good coverage...

An additional issue is that there's a lack of regulation in most countries around the use of pharmaceuticals for ornamental fish (food fish use is quite strictly regulated). A lot of the more common fish pharmaceuticals, e.g. nitrofurazone, are noted as carcinogens, mutagens and genotoxins...

Using our personal experiences as a basis for interpreting a clinical scenario is an unreliable and inaccurate method: we are not in the business of diagnosing and treating fish, so our experiences are quite limited in scope and not representative. The clinical literature (e.g. Hoole, 2001...

Regarding the RO filter, I think a TDS of 35 is fine. There's no need - from my perspective - to chase an idealised 0 (or exceptionally low) TDS water since it will invariably require remineralisation for aquarium use. The objective - I find - is more so the dilution of noxious substances, the...

It is quite unusual that you would need that much KH in order to raise pH to 7.0. As a point of comparison, a solution of ~5 ppm NaHCO3 (baking soda) in pure water has a pH of ~7.0. This is approximately ~0.2 dKH. I suspect that there may be other attendant factors present. Could you describe...

It could be many things: there's always a high degree uncertainty and speculation when attempting to interpret incomplete clinical data, especially over the internet and when attempted by non-veterinarians (and I emphasised this in my prior posts). I contemplated a wide variety of clinical...

I would interpret that clinical sign as epidermal hyperplasia. It be can be associated with a number of pathogens: Ichthyobodo spp. infection ("costia"), monogean infection ("skin flukes"), a viral infection (especially Herpesvirus spp.). In addition, many protozoan ectoparasites can elicit this...

Unfortunately I can only interpret these LM micrographs to a very limited degree as it (for me at least, not being a quick-eyed fish pathologist!) typically requires more contextual information: scale and object size, specific biopsy site, other biopsies from relevant sites (to assess for...

The black spot is an interesting clinical feature. I had incorrectly interpreted it as another undigested food flake, but - as you rightly note - it seems to be beneath the epidermis (either in the dermis or muscle). It is certainly suggestive of a digenean trematode ("grubs", "flukes", "black...

Please note that I'm not a veterinarian. With that in mind, it's possible - I think - to make a few, general interpretations: (1) Low mortality: one fish every few months rather than all fish in one week is suggestive of a pathogen of relatively low invasiveness, that is to say, it is perhaps...

The self-biting behaviour is complex to interpret since there's (insofar as I've read) limited aquarist/scholarly consensus on what may be the driving factor: genetics, stress, irritation (e.g. from an infection), an adaptive behaviour (e.g. to improve locomotion by reducing drag) or - perhaps...