Clown Trigger Jaw Injury Advice

[AlexG]

My small clown trigger had an accident this week when it decided that it was a good idea to try and take food away from my porcupine puffer.

Story behind what happened
I generally give my puffers larger food items like shrimp on tongs so the wrasses and other fish don't steal all of it. I finished tong feeding and wanted to give the porcupine puffer the last piece of shrimp. The little clown trigger managed quickly swim up to grab a hold of the food and before I knew it the clown trigger was almost half swallowed when the porcupine puffer inhaled the shrimp. When I saw what was about to happen I tried to stop it but it was too late. I almost picked the puffer up out of the tank and within a second the puffer spit the clown trigger. The clown trigger swam away and I saw it go into the rocks but I was not sure if the puffer bit down as I figured it would be the end the for the clown trigger. I did not see the clown trigger the rest of the night and the next day I anxiously watched the camera to see if it came out. I saw the clown trigger a few times and it seemed to be swimming normally. When I got home I could see the jaw of the clown trigger was injured.

What I see wrong with the clown trigger
The jaw of the clown trigger seems that it has been shifted slightly to one side and the fish is unable to fully close its mouth so it remains open. I don't see any external evidence of injury in the form of cuts or tears just a light white line near the jaw on the left side of the fish(can be seen in the third picture). I can see the trigger is able to move its jaw a bit but it will not close. The clown trigger started actively feeding the day after the incident and has continued eating today. The trigger seems to be targeting smaller pieces of food and otherwise seems to have normal behavior.

What should I do about this injury?
My initial thoughts are to leave this injury alone and let it heal as intervention might do more harm than good. I don't know if the jaw is broken or simply dislocated. Since the fish is young I know there is a chance it will heal normally, but at the same time I question that if I do nothing it might be detrimental to this fish as it grows and matures. In all my years of keeping fish I have never encountered this type of injury before and I am looking for some opinions and advice. I attached a few screenshots off a video. These are not the best quality pictures. I will try to take some better still photos tomorrow.

• Has anyone faced a similar fish injury? If so what did you do and what was the outcome?
  
• Should I leave this jaw injury alone and do nothing?
• Should I try to take corrective actions for the jaw? If so how should I do this?

 

[EmdeReef]

Sorry about that.

As far as the injury goes, there’s nothing you can do but let it heal on its own.

The only risk in not intervening would be secondary bacterial infections. If the wound gets infected you will have to treat with antibiotics so I would watch very closely for at least 7-10 days for any discoloration, redness, bumps etc.as well as behavioral changes (not eating, hiding or swimming funny). Alternatively, you could QT the fish and treat right away.

 

[AlexG]

Sorry about that.

As far as the injury goes, there’s nothing you can do but let it heal on its own.

The only risk in not intervening would be secondary bacterial infections. If the wound gets infected you will have to treat with antibiotics so I would watch very closely for at least 7-10 days for any discoloration, redness, bumps etc.as well as behavioral changes (not eating, hiding or swimming funny). Alternatively, you could QT the fish and treat right away.

Thanks @EmdeReef I appreciate the advice. I will definitely be observing this fish closely for changes in appearance and behavior. Catching this little guy in a 720 gallon tank might prove to be a challenge and I would like to avoid that stress on the clown trigger and the rest of the tank inhabitants if possible. As of tonight the clown trigger is still eating and seems to have slightly more movement in its jaw today. The plan for now is to let nature take its course and let it heal on its own.

 

[EmdeReef]

Thanks @EmdeReef I appreciate the advice. I will definitely be observing this fish closely for changes in appearance and behavior. Catching this little guy in a 720 gallon tank might prove to be a challenge and I would like to avoid that stress on the clown trigger and the rest of the tank inhabitants if possible. As of tonight the clown trigger is still eating and seems to have slightly more movement in its jaw today. The plan for now is to let nature take its course and let it heal on its own.

Good luck and keep us posted. Hopefully, all works out well!

 

[AlexG]

I wanted to post an update on the clown trigger. I did not taken any actions and let nature take its course. It has been a few weeks and the trigger is still doing well and almost seems back to normal. The jaw seems that it is functioning normally again and the trigger can now close it all the way and its not hanging open. The trigger seems to have learned its lesson on getting near the puffer during feeding time. I have noticed the trigger is no longer eating from the tongs and is sticking to free floating food.