The Puffer Forum

Hello all,

Need advise on what is the most appropriate tool for trimming the teeth of a medium sized fahaka, about 10" inclusive tail.

Guess i am looking at one that can do the job both quickly and cleanly.

Thanks in Advance.
John

You could try sharp wire cutters or a Dremmel tool. I'd get another pair of hands to hold him. Be sure to pull back his lip, so you don't cut it off. I highly suggest you get something to tranquilize that fish. I'm not sure what's available to you, in your country.

Hi thanks i will check them out. I am able to get ms222 or Transmore . Both are used commonly in the fish trade here . Clove oil will be last choice .

I have another pair of hands to help me. I am a bit nervous about the wire cutters , not sure if they will crack the the teeth ( which I presume are relatively hard and strong for a fish this size ? I thnk I'm more confident of Dremmel tool . Will update

methylquinoline is the active ingredient in Transmore

Yes, either are safe for your fish. Be sure to dose according to the directions & have a bucket of tank water for recovery of the fish. Their teeth are more like a fingernail than like ours. Use the sharp tip of the cutters & be sure to sharpen them 1st.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drUCDs4UG_M

my fahaka is slightly smaller than the mbu in this video, and its teeth situation is only a little better than.

THey used 2 containers of water, one with the actual dose and one with a lower dose, and i see him putting the mbu back into the baths several times. is it because the fish has woken up halfway ?

About waking up the fish, what is the differnce between letting it recover in a bucket vs in its own tank ?

I wouldn't use a lower dose, stick with the full dose. You have to keep putting them back in the water as that's how they breath. If you kept them out then they would suffocate. When waking a fish back up I've always put them in a net in the tank with increased oxygenation (I lower the water so there is more surface agitation). I wouldn't want to have to move the fish once it has woken back up.

Absolutely use a separate bucket, until he has woken up fully. I do not see the purpose of re-tranquilizing a fish, if it was done properly in the 1st place.

how long will the tranquilization last ? i.e how much time do i have to work on the teeth ?
must i drip water on the fish continuously ?

A long time. You can do major surgery or even ship a fish in this state. This is why I don't get the continuous dipping into the 1/2 dose. Also, NEVER hold the fish with your bare hands! it removes the slime coat leaving it open to severe infection. Always use a net. If done right, the slipping should take less than 5 minutes (not the long time those guys are taking in that vid). See how much he missed by not pulling the lips back the 1st time? I don't think that is the correct tool he's using at all.

Hey thanks

I really appreciate the knowledge and experience here .

Perhaps I'll upload some close ups, and u guys can confirm the right tool to use .a strong wire cutter does seem to be the quickest to use. So if I can go ahead with that without fear of fracturing / cracking anything I'm open. It's my first time and also not on a small puffer so I want to be very sure before I start .

One more question, how is the structure of the puffer's teeth like ?

Is it like a dog's nails where there is a soft core ? I mean even for human teeth we have a soft core .

Or is it solid piece of fingernail material ( like a rhino's horn) and I do not have to worry about cutting into a soft core / pulp that contains nerves and is a lot of pain ?

definitely don't do it like that video, if you read the comments, he died 2 days after this operation.

OMG, I missed that! He looked so healthy.

It's just like cutting a fingernail.

Wtf, he died? Ya, great "how to" video.