EMERGENCY-----My Fish decided to shut his mouth with superglue. What do I do?

[davy31]

Hey guys, I was attaching a piece of GSP to the glass and my pufferfish bit into a blob of glue. I fed them before hand so they would be distracted and not come close to the frag just incase and my fear turned into truth

Any idea what I can do for him? HE is quite hard to catch and is a jumper. So far he seems to be ok and doesn't show any signs of distress but he can't eat and I am monitoring him to see if becomes sluggish I tried catching him but he freaked out and hid among the rock work. Has anyone experienced this with puffers? Any advise would be really helpfull right now! Thanks!

 

[dvgyfresh]

Oh wow , not sure what exactly to do here besides catching him and removing the super glue

 

[mattdg]

Wow! you don't see that every day. I often worry about this exact thing, when using super glue in the tank. Appreciate you sharing, so we can all be aware of this possibility.

As for my ideas, I wonder if you should just leave it alone for a day or two. Super glue has a way of working itself off of skin (at least the human kind without scales), over time. It may be the case that it simply falls off. If the fish is not distressed, I'd leave it alone. If in two days it is still there, perhaps catching the fish and gently working some natural oils (fish / olive) into the mouth will help it to release it's hold?

Please do keep this updated to let us know how everything plays out and good luck!

 

[davy31]

Hi Thanks, I plan on leaving him alone and see how does tomorrow. Its quite hard to catch and the harder part would be removing the blob. I saw there was another post with this happening with a tang.

 

[Saltysav96]

I had a yellow tang do this a few years ago.
Left him alone and it eventually fell off

 

[blaxsun]

This is definitely something you don't hear about every day...

 

[Jimmyneptune]

You may want to do a fish trap, which can often take several days to catch a fish. Even if he can't eat he will still want to eat and will be more willing to go into the trap for food. You can catch him and then maybe figure out how to help him once caught.

 

[Uzidaisies]

Sad situation. I’d be worried that trying to pull the glue off is going to do major damage.

 

[Scallopking]

Leave it be. It will fall off. I had this happen not too long ago to my gem tang. I was a nervous parent the whole time. But it came out. Feed as normal and the trying to eat motions will work it out.

 

[davy31]

You may want to do a fish trap, which can often take several days to catch a fish. Even if he can't eat he will still want to eat and will be more willing to go into the trap for food. You can catch him and then maybe figure out how to help him once caught.

That seems tedious and stressful for him, I would also need to find a way to sedate him. Since its a sizeable chunk, I am hoping the oils the fish secretes would help dislodge it.

 

[davy31]

I had a yellow tang do this a few years ago.
Left him alone and it eventually fell off

Thanks, i'd probably do the same thing.

 

[Nburg's Reef]

This happens all the time to my clown. It will fall off. I think trying to do anything at this point will make things worse. If it doesn't fall off in a few days, then it might be time to catch and remove.

 

[davy31]

This happens all the time to my clown. It will fall off. I think trying to do anything at this point will make things worse. If it doesn't fall off in a few days, then it might be time to catch and remove.

Yeah pretty much the game plan here. I am just a little worried about the breathing. Right now he seems to be pecking at the GSP stuck to glass. Not sure if he is trying to make a point.

 

[Reef AquaCult]

He will be fine. It will fall off soon. Leave it alone

 

[Uzidaisies]

This happens all the time to my clown. It will fall off. I think trying to do anything at this point will make things worse. If it doesn't fall off in a few days, then it might be time to catch and remove.

Maybe it’s time to reconsider your methods if you glue your fish’s mouth shut all the time.

 

[Nburg's Reef]

Maybe it’s time to reconsider your methods if you glue your fish’s mouth shut all the time.

Lol my female clown tries to move everything new in the tank. She will nip at the base of all new frags, new rocks, or anything moved out of place. She's like a grumpy old man and I am playing on her front lawn.

 

[MichaelReefer]

My valentini Did the EXACT same thing. I caught him and had to peel it off his mouth with my hands.

 

[mdb_talon]

Going to try this with my family next time i just want to sit and watch a hockey game uninterrupted.

 

[davy31]

My valentini Did the EXACT same thing. I caught him and had to peel it off his mouth with my hands.

Don't these guys jump a lot when you try catching them. I tried catching him and he seemed really stressed.

 

[Scallopking]

Best to get them perched while sleeping.