Mbu tail injury, surgery fix?
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.
Mbu tail injury, surgery fix?
Hi everyone,
I made an account here to see if anyone has done fin/tail surgery on a puffer before? My 7" Mbu got sucked into a power filter at the LFS. He gets on just fine, but the top 1/3 of his tail is kind of gimped. It grew back and folded over itself. It's a purely aesthetic thing. Here he is:
http://imgur.com/hORvHYc
Has anyone put their puffer under to cut off a damaged fin or tail before? I've watched uarujoy's video on his arowana surgery. I'm sure a puffer's tail would re-grow no different than an arowanas? Joey's fish ended up looking perfect again a couple months afterwards!
I made an account here to see if anyone has done fin/tail surgery on a puffer before? My 7" Mbu got sucked into a power filter at the LFS. He gets on just fine, but the top 1/3 of his tail is kind of gimped. It grew back and folded over itself. It's a purely aesthetic thing. Here he is:
http://imgur.com/hORvHYc
Has anyone put their puffer under to cut off a damaged fin or tail before? I've watched uarujoy's video on his arowana surgery. I'm sure a puffer's tail would re-grow no different than an arowanas? Joey's fish ended up looking perfect again a couple months afterwards!
Last edited by Psylant on Thu Jun 12, 2014 12:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
- bertie 83
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Re: Mbu tail injury, surgery fix?
Hi and welcome to the forum. The risks of surgery are relatively high, if he gets on fine and it just looks odd you are better off leaving well alone. Puffers are very adaptable so the stress would unlikely be worth it
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
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Re: Mbu tail injury, surgery fix?
I would NEVER do surgery on a fish for aesthetic reasons, only to save it's life. There is high risk of infection. I'm sure the fish doesn't care what he looks like.
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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Re: Mbu tail injury, surgery fix?
Image link is broken.
WARNING: Puffers are mischievous little blimps with enchanting powers. You may not be content with having just one.
Re: Mbu tail injury, surgery fix?
I think I fixed it.sgtmyers88 wrote:Image link is broken.
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Re: Mbu tail injury, surgery fix?
My t. mbu had a curl at the end of his caudal fine. That was from too long in the 180. He could only turn in one direction. I asked my vet - he laughed at me and said I was mad. Losing one direction in turns is hardly life-threatening in captivity, in a tank all alone.
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Re: Mbu tail injury, surgery fix?
The fish is still a size that is manageable and its young. If it were me, I would probably try it. Since it is a fish that you own for the long haul (many, many years), I think it would be worth the try. I would do a lot of research first...
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Re: Mbu tail injury, surgery fix?
When it comes to my own health and the health of my family and pets, I usually have a policy of not risking surgery or treatments unless absolutely necessary. If you have ever sedated a puffer for dentistry you know that putting them to sleep is not an exact science and it is hard on the health of the fish. I wouldn't risk it, if the fish is not suffering or having difficulty feeding.
Stand Tall, Be Brave, Wait For The Signs
Re: Mbu tail injury, surgery fix?
This is my thinking as well. I wish someone would chime in that has done it, or something similar.DMD123 wrote:The fish is still a size that is manageable and its young. If it were me, I would probably try it. Since it is a fish that you own for the long haul (many, many years), I think it would be worth the try. I would do a lot of research first...
- bertie 83
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Harlequins, CAE's, Yoyo
Loaches, Clown loaches ,Eels, various shrimp, tangs,wrasses, damsels, chromis - Location (country): Brighton, England
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Re: Mbu tail injury, surgery fix?
It is not affecting the fish, I doubt anyone will chime in to say they have done any surgery unless it was to save a fish. Risk factor is super high for no gain whatsoever if I'm totally honest
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
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Re: Mbu tail injury, surgery fix?
I agree. My porcupine puffer recently had surgery, only because it was his only chance. If he could've lived with his tumor, we would have. I'm just glad he's ok
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Re: Mbu tail injury, surgery fix?
LOL, who am I to talk, I just had a facelift! But I was well aware of the risks...
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!"
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Re: Mbu tail injury, surgery fix?
Just research the process done with other fish first. Look at the different techniques used and then experiment. Go to a local grocery store and ask for the scrap fish parts. Usually they will have tails and spines if they filet their own fish. Get sharp utensils, even get your own scalpel. Practice the technique needed and keep doing it until you feel comfortable of how the cutting will actually feel on the puffer. After all this take into account how the puffer reacts differently from the other fishes youve studied and then adjust accordingly. Pay attention to things like if a certain medication was used on the cut area to reduce infection. Make sure to treat the whole process like a surgery and keep all instruments sterile and clean. With good research and practice, I think you will do just fine.Psylant wrote:This is my thinking as well. I wish someone would chime in that has done it, or something similar.DMD123 wrote:The fish is still a size that is manageable and its young. If it were me, I would probably try it. Since it is a fish that you own for the long haul (many, many years), I think it would be worth the try. I would do a lot of research first...
If it were me and I was going to invest all the time and energy into a fish like that, along with a giant tank, I would have no issue performing that procedure. The fish is the perfect size to work with and looks young and healthy. I have not done that procedure but have done radical fish treatment before. Ive caught and force fed meds into sick fish. This goes against all kinds of practices of just medicating the water and hope for the best. But the results speak for themselves when I have brought back quite a few fish from deaths door because I got food and medicine into them where it did the most good.
Sorry long rant, but like I said research, research, research and practice, practice, practice!
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Re: Mbu tail injury, surgery fix?
But what about pain management afterwards? I'd consider that fairly big surgery, he's going to be in pain afterwards, and that alone could kill him.
I wouldn't do it, I'd only subject Pig to surgery if it was that or death/suffering, and even then I'd have to weigh up the pain/shock factor.
I wouldn't do it, I'd only subject Pig to surgery if it was that or death/suffering, and even then I'd have to weigh up the pain/shock factor.
Never trust big puffers. The fingers you save may be your own. RTR
Re: Mbu tail injury, surgery fix?
I don't think there would be any pain. From my understanding the fins are like our fingernails or hair. I'm not talking about cutting into any flesh. Only the finnage.Stratters wrote:But what about pain management afterwards? I'd consider that fairly big surgery, he's going to be in pain afterwards, and that alone could kill him.
I wouldn't do it, I'd only subject Pig to surgery if it was that or death/suffering, and even then I'd have to weigh up the pain/shock factor.