Trimming Puffers Teeth
Sometimes it will be necessary to trim your puffers teeth, when the teeth are preventing your fish from eating or food is getting stuck in their teeth on a regular basis. South American puffers in general seem to require this procedure on a regular basis (sometimes every 6 months) but most other puffers, if fed shell food regularly, shouldn't need their teeth trimmed. The following excerpt was posted by a long time puffer owner and is the simplest and least stressful (for the puffer as well as the keeper) of any I have found:
" I filled 2 Coolwhip containers w/tank water. Put 3 drops of clove oil (next time I'll try 1 drop) in 1 container. Added the fish. Within 1 minute the fish was laying on it's back. It looked dead. I took the fish out with a net, (as to not harm it's skin with the oils of my hand) & held it through the net. I clipped it's teeth with cuticle nippers being careful not to cut it's mouth. I placed the puffer in the container of fresh tank water. I could see it breathing. After 1 minute it had righted itself, 2 minutes it was swimming around, 3 minutes it was back in the tank swimming like nothing had happened. Repeated with other puffer & all is fine with them today. This all needs to be done as quickly as possible, as clove oil can also be used for painless euthanasia. That's why I will try 1 drop next time
gj erised. 
