The Puffer Forum

How comon is it fo saps to overgrow teeth? And how often should i give them snails? Are there eny thing more i can give them?

Thanks for ansers

no one?

There's a Pufferfish Dentistry article that will explain it all, in our Library.

Short story, it's nearly impossible to get them to not overgrow even with constant supplies of very crunchy foods, so get reading that dentistry article.

then the question arises... how do they survive in the wild?

Many seem to come from the wild with overgrown teeth, in fact, a good number may die of it in the wild.

Either that or in the wild there is something that occurs naturally in their environment that helps with tooth wear which we dont have in our tanks. Ive heard people feeding SAP's from granite stones, so when the Puffer comes in for the food, they also peck at the stone thus wearing the teeth down more, although im not sure how healthy for them that is

I have two SAPs in my community tank, one much bigger than the other. The bigger one hardly needs dental work. In 2.5 years, I've done his teeth only once or twice. His teeth basically stay fine, needing only the merest trim if I'm feeling particular anxious. Certainly, he never gets the overhanging teeth problem we know so well. The other one is about half the size of his tankmate, and is more of a problem, and needs dental work once every 6-9 months. His teeth seem to grow faster than the other's.

My tank has silica sand and Malayan livebearing snails. I'm not sure which of these factors is relevant here, if any, but I suspect foraging in sand for tough-shelled snails is helping. I *know* people object to Malayan livebearing snails as puffer food because they might crack their teeth, and respect their opinion on that. But in my personal opinion, SAPs don't seem to be at any risk, and quite possibly their fast-growing teeth have evolved for just this kind of prey.

Cheers, Neale

I think its like people - some never go to the dentist and never have a cavity, others take very good care of their teeth and have a mouth full of holey teeth. I had SAPs with sand and MTS and still had to do them every couple of months. I think water plays a big part, too. I have water that's basically liquid rock, and I think that's part of why their teeth grow so fast. I have to keep on top of my A.silus, too, as she gets a little long in the tooth as well.

I will try to cut there teath, but i dont think i will get them to sleep whit clove oil, what if somthing goes wrong?

If you look for a product called Tranquil or Finquil, it is a considerable bit more safe to use than clove oil, or so we are finding.

Clove oil will work, you'd be surprised at how well it knocks a fish out, but it would be worth it to look into one of the above products.

Okey thanks for the advice =)