Tang has glue in mouth. How to remove.

[PhilM]

I was just gluing coral to rock and a small piece came off and gem tang tried to eat and now has mouth glued shut or partially shut. What can I do? This is very distressing .

 

[fishguy242]

not much you can do, can it open it's mouth at all ? should fall off within 24 hrs

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Is the fish still able to breath o.k.?

We've seen this happen a few times here, and as long as the fish can breath, the glue lets go after some time, like within a day or so.

If it is not able to breath properly, that is an acute issue that might require you to try and remove it, but of course, that's a lot rickier because you can damage the fish.

Jay

 

[PhilM]

Tried placing some nori. She went for it but is not able to open her mouth. Could it actually be in her mouth and will that come out/off? It looks like she thought the glue bubble was food and chomped down on it. She seems to be breathing ok and is swimming well.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Tried placing some nori. She went for it but is not able to open her mouth. Could it actually be in her mouth and will that come out/off? It looks like she thought the glue bubble was food and chomped down on it. She seems to be breathing ok and is swimming well.

That is a big chunk of glue, but it should fall off. Chasing it around to catch it and then grabbing it and pulling it off could be damaging, so I'd wait for a day to see if it falls off on its own. Not eating for a day or two is fine.

Jay

 

[PhilM]

She is quite agitated but still seems to be breathing and swimming well. I will wait for a least a day before doing anything else. If the breathing becomes laboured or other issues arise I will remove her from the DT (that may be fun) and try to take off as much of the glue as I can. I do not want to damage her mouth. Any specific instructions for removing the glue and what to do afterwards. I am getting the QT tank set up just in case. I really hope she makes it through and the glue just comes off with time.

As always, many thanks for your quick and helpful responses.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Is the fish still able to breath o.k.?

We've seen this happen a few times here, and as long as the fish can breath, the glue lets go after some time, like within a day or so.

If it is not able to breath properly, that is an acute issue that might require you to try and remove it, but of course, that's a lot rickier because you can damage the fish.

Jay

This has happened before? Wow! Would not have expected this. Hopefully you are able to remove it or it falls off quickly.

 

[vetteguy53081]

In late January, I just had acquaintance with bird wrasse do the same and 4 days later it dislodged. Its similar to us getting superglue on out fingers- after a couple of days it will release from our skin.
As mentioned - key is the fish's ability to breathe and take in water. I always use GEL super glue only if superglue otherwise my go to is- Coral Putty such as Holdfast.

 

[MnFish1]

I was just gluing coral to rock and a small piece came off and gem tang tried to eat and now has mouth glued shut or partially shut. What can I do? This is very distressing .

It will normally fall off in a day or two - as long as its breathing ok - I wouldn't do anything

 

[PhilM]

A quick update. She has been rubbing her snout against the rock, The main exterior blob of glue has fallen off. The glue remains in her mouth and is preventing her from opening it to eat. She is still breathing well and swimming around.

 

[MnFish1]

This has happened before? Wow! Would not have expected this. Hopefully you are able to remove it or it falls off quickly.

Yes - it often happens when gluing frags - the fish thinks the new 'white stuff' is food

 

[MnFish1]

A quick update. She has been rubbing her snout against the rock, The main exterior blob of glue has fallen off. The glue remains in her mouth and is preventing her from opening it to eat. She is still breathing well and swimming around.

I would watch. There is not much to do. I suppose you could catch the fish and try to remove the glue with tweezers, etc.

 

[vetteguy53081]

A quick update. She has been rubbing her snout against the rock, The main exterior blob of glue has fallen off. The glue remains in her mouth and is preventing her from opening it to eat. She is still breathing well and swimming around.

This is the step they take to dislodge it.

 

[PhilM]

The glue has come out of the gem tangs mouth and she is eating vociferously. That was scary. Thank you all for your support. This is a wonderful resource with great contributors.