The Puffer Forum

Hi all.

About 4 wks ago I bought a tank that already came stocked with fish. One of them was a Valentini puffer, whom we have named Olivander. He is so sweet, he looks like a little humming bird. Apparently he's about 5 yrs old. I have been feeding all the fish in the tank the food given by the prev owner (silversides, eels, seafood medly) and also introduced smelts and just recently blue crab in the shell. The latter is because I read they should eat food with shells on so their beaks file down (I also have triggers in the tank). I also introduced a vitamin, which I'm giving about 3times a week.

Anyway, a couple of days ago I noticed Olivander's mouth looks... funny. It's hard to get a good look (and probably impossible to get a picture of, but I'll try), but it almost looks like there is something lopsided about it. Something white on one side hanging down slightly. I am wondering if it is a tooth. How quickly do they grow? Would it likely only grow long on one side like that? He seems to still be eating, though I haven't actually seen him pick at the shell of a clam. I have read you can file down their teeth by hand but I just can't imagine doing that! Esp to such a tiny little mouth. Is it anything else it could be besides a tooth?

Thanks,

There's an article on dentistry in the Library. That might help you.

I don't think that teeth would grow in a lopsided way like that.

Can you please answer the questions in red? Those are important.

1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate).
With the exception of today, the pH has always been 7.8. This morning it was 8.2. The only change is that I had moved the Fluval filter to another tank yesterday (explanation is in the thread about the sick stars and stripes puffer viewtopic.php?f=3&t=17956&view=unread#unread). The Ammonia, nitrate and nitrite are all negative. The SG is 1.021

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.

135gallon with a 40 gallon sump. There are a lion fish, a picasso trigger, a white tailed trigger and a wolf eel. There used to be a scribble puffer as well, but he died this morning (see the other thread I mentioned).

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).

I have cut back to feeding once a day. I alternate between shrimp, silversides, smelts, blue crab (in the shell). I give a vitamin 3 times a week. I treat the water with Aquaplus and I am using Instant Ocean salt. I vaccum the gravel and replace 10 gallons of water every week (sometimes twice). I usually have to top up the water nearly every day.

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.

The only thing, beside the sick scribble puffer, was that I introduced the blue crab to their diet.

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.

I bought an already established aquarium and moved it May 2. We moved 100+ gallons of exisiting water and live rock adn base rock. I used Cycle for the water at first, but not since. I test the water twice a week, and almost never have ammonia (very slight amount a couple of times), and occassionally have a small amount of nitrate and nitrite. I think that might have been do to a cowrie snail that died adn was rotting in the tank for awhile before I realized. There are quite a few hermit crabs in the tank too.

So, tonight he opened his mouth really wide and it IS his teeth. They are lopsided for some reason. No! I can't do this! File them down I mean. Is there any chance of him wearing them down himself, if I keep giving him shelled food?

Don't file them. Read the dentistry article I mentioned.

Wearing them down with crunchy foods prevents overgrowth, but doesn't usually fix it. I think you're in for a trim.

I had a client with a Valentini puffer and no matter what you feed him his teeth still needed to be trimmed once and a while. Read the article over in the library as they will get to the point where they can't eat.