I think I will have to be a DIY puffer dentist...
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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1Cheesehead
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 49
- Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 8:17 pm
- Location (country): Wisconsin
I think I will have to be a DIY puffer dentist...
Lately I have been noticing my Valentini's teeth have been growing and growing. So i have been feeding clams and ramshorn snails, and he wont eat either. I bought some clove oil and cuticle nippers, and I was wondering how much this would stress him out. He has just got out of his hospital tank after a month and a half long hyposalinity treatment with his tankmates, so I really don't want to stress him out. He still has room to bite, and eats freezedried krill, but he has a hard time eating it though. Any ideas to naturally trim his teach before I have to sedate him?
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Pufftastic
- Green Spotted Puffer
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Have also kept:
T biocellatus - Location (country): California USA
Re: I think I will have to be a DIY puffer dentist...
I'm sure others can provide more detail on this, but I do know that you're not supposed to use clove oil for anesthesia, just euthanasia. Imprecise dosing is a possibility, and clove oil can have a cumulative effect with repeated dosing.
There are actual fish anesthetics available OTC that you can use-- I'm not sure which one is currently recommended, but someone will be along to let you know. Just wanted to quickly post and say: No clove oil.
There are actual fish anesthetics available OTC that you can use-- I'm not sure which one is currently recommended, but someone will be along to let you know. Just wanted to quickly post and say: No clove oil.
Yo ho, yo ho, a puffer's life for me.
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purplecandle
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Re: I think I will have to be a DIY puffer dentist...
look at this video of south American puffer getting their teeth trimmed without sedatives, perhaps it will help you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENX6NZ2B ... g&index=26
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENX6NZ2B ... g&index=26
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JRC3
- Fahaka Puffer
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Re: I think I will have to be a DIY puffer dentist...
I've always wondered if lowering the tank temp would also help dull or slow the puff down a notch.purplecandle wrote:look at this video of south American puffer getting their teeth trimmed without sedatives, perhaps it will help you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENX6NZ2B ... g&index=26
There are many knowledgeable fish keepers on this forum willing to help and give great advice...The advice is free; What you choose to do with it gives it value.
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Nuclear_Glitter
- Fahaka Puffer
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- Location (country): North Carolina, USA
- Location: North Carolina, USA
Re: I think I will have to be a DIY puffer dentist...
This is the article you need: library/hospital/dentistry/
Don't use the clove oil. You need a product called tricaine methanesulfonate (also referred to as MS222) also sometimes sold as Tranquil or Finquil
Don't use the clove oil. You need a product called tricaine methanesulfonate (also referred to as MS222) also sometimes sold as Tranquil or Finquil
"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." -- Henry Ford
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1Cheesehead
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 49
- Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 8:17 pm
- Location (country): Wisconsin
Re: I think I will have to be a DIY puffer dentist...
Ok thanks, apparently I have a "fish vet" near me, I am going to email him and see if he can help me out. I also will definitely need to sedate him, he has to he one of the strongest fish I have ever had.
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1Cheesehead
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 49
- Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 8:17 pm
- Location (country): Wisconsin
Re: I think I will have to be a DIY puffer dentist...
Also when my reef "wakes up" tomorrow I will have to post a pic of this "scratch" on his face that has just appeared.
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El Scorpio
- Fahaka Puffer
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Re: I think I will have to be a DIY puffer dentist...
+1 to NOT using clove oil; too dangerous. I don't have a Valentini but I do have a toby, and she loves to eat ghost shrimp. Some live shrimp might kickstart his appetite.
Also, freeze dried krill has been known to cause lockjaw in puffers. Just an FYI.
Can you post a pic of his beak?
Also, freeze dried krill has been known to cause lockjaw in puffers. Just an FYI.
Can you post a pic of his beak?
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Pufferpunk
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Re: I think I will have to be a DIY puffer dentist...
You can buy Finquel on Ebay.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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1Cheesehead
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 49
- Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 8:17 pm
- Location (country): Wisconsin
Re: I think I will have to be a DIY puffer dentist...
I will get a pic once he gets this food out of his teeth.
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1Cheesehead
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 49
- Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 8:17 pm
- Location (country): Wisconsin
Re: I think I will have to be a DIY puffer dentist...
I have tried for 30 min to try and get a good pic, but nothing turns out. I will have to try and find the good camera tomorrow. Also I think he might have caught a bit if ich on his fin 
. I am not sure if it is ich though, sine it doesn't seem to be a "perfect" shape, as ich normally is. If it is ich I really don't know what I will do. He was in hypo for more than a month with his other tank mates, and I think it will be impossible to get the recently acquired ywg out.
. I am not sure if it is ich though, sine it doesn't seem to be a "perfect" shape, as ich normally is. If it is ich I really don't know what I will do. He was in hypo for more than a month with his other tank mates, and I think it will be impossible to get the recently acquired ywg out.