Fish Emergency Dentistry!

[SoloChromis]

My kamohara blenny has been acting very strange recently, then I noticed one of his fangs is stuck sticking out, which looks like it hinders his ability to eat. At this point all he does is scramble around trying to find new places to hide (bolt holes in rockwork, glass bottle, conch shell etc.) and I can't see him solving this issue on his own. I've seen some videos of people using clove oil to knock their fish out in order to perform some sort of medical procedure, would this be necessary? I'm thinking of using the clove oil and then a pair of nail clippers to trim his fang until he can open his mouth fully again. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys :dance:

 

[Dmorty217]

Never used clove oil, just tricaine-s but yes you could do this. I would practice sedating a goldfish or something before jumping to the wrasse. Add the med slowly and watch for reaction

 

[SoloChromis]

Never used clove oil, just tricaine-s but yes you could do this. I would practice sedating a goldfish or something before jumping to the wrasse. Add the med slowly and watch for reaction

Why would you advise against clove oil?

 

[ThRoewer]

Why would you advise against clove oil?

That's not what he said. He meant that he has never used it himself.

 

[ThRoewer]

BTW, here is a comprehensive work about sedating fish:
Fish Sedation, Anesthesia, Analgesia, and Euthanasia: Considerations, Methods, and Types of Drugs

 

[Dmorty217]

Why would you advise against clove oil?

Not advising against it, but I like things in powder form when it comes to measuring instead of liquid

 

[SoloChromis]

That's not what he said. He meant that he has never used it himself.

Ah, my mistake :lolspin: Read it quickly.

 

[Martini5788]

I used clove oil once to sedate a brackish puffer for a teeth trim. He's fine now. Can't remember the dose, haven't done it in awhile. Be sure to wake the fish up in a bowl of tank water before putting back into tank. They usually wake up pretty fast. Be very sure about the dose though, overdosing is fatal. Measure out the water in the bowl you bucket you use specifically, not just a rough estimate.