The last Puffer disappeared...

A few days ago I introduced 3 Pomacea bridgesi aka the Golden Apple snail. They are adapting very well, always in search for food, grazing over the wood, rocks and glass. In the photo above, one can see how curious this Puffer is. The Puffer bit a couple of times into the snail, but this doesn't seem to be bothering it, since the Pomacea bridgesi continued grazing over the substrate. Snail that feels threatened usually closes it self behind its 'door'.

The last Puffer (the one in the photo), disappeared yesterday. I presume the crabs got him. The fish was very energetic, eating well. I performed weekly 50% water change + the plants are doing great (apart from the Anubias) so water quality is not the culprit, causing this fish to die. I sure hope that one of the crabs that ate this Puffer want die also, since the Puffers meat contains a very powerful toxin called Tetrodotoxin aka the anhydrotetrodotoxin 4-epitetrodotoxin. Apparently, Puffers in captivity can't develop this toxin, but one can not be sure without making lab test. I know one thing though, each time one of the Puffers vanished, I find another dead Crab. Is all this a coincidence? Time will tell. Other Crabs are doing well. At the moment I am feeding the Crabs with Crab sticks only. I am not sure if the cucumber I fed to Crabs cause the deaths. Just out of precaution I will continue feeding them with Crab sticks from Hikari.

Some German aquarists reported keeping Pseudosesarma moeshi with fish like Mollys and Platys without any fish loss...I am not sure about that, even my tiny Macrobrachium tries to catch a fish when passing near by...and Crabs are opportunists...so

Photos by Dusko Bojic.