We have yet another update to the death lagoon. There is a new progression.
The 'pond' has since been stabilised until yesterday. Here is what happened:
I've 4 F8 puffers and 1 Dwarf Puffer which have lived out their usefulness as puffer require intense snail feeding. Therefore they were sacrificed to the pond. It is common knowledge that wild puffers are toxic and should not be eaten, however aquaria puffers are inbred and are not toxic - because they are unable to feed on the poisonous bacteria that is responsible for much of their notoriety.
However, I was proven wrong by the death of 2 Spotted Gars, an Arowana and a Shovel nose. All measured about 10 inches. As you know a spotted gar at 22" fetches a hefty $200 per piece. This is a great loss. In order to confirm that the loss was a result of consumption of the puffer, as usual, an autopsy was carried out. The goal was simpler this time, just check the stomach and see whether there were puffer remains.
From this point on word there may be gruesome pictures. You are warned.
Credits to my sister for helping me take the pictures. Thank you.
A comparison of the dead fishes was set up with a 6" ruler for measurement. They are all roughly 10" from tail to head.
There was alot of grime on the fishes. It is a natural protective covering.
The shovel nose was chosen as the victim because 1) it has a big belly that is easier to cut,
2) it does not have teeth and merely devours the subject (with its big mouth), making the chances of an intact puffer higher for identification
First step is to wash the victim
Second step is to make an incision along the belly
Third Step: Use a finger and pull open the belly then cut along laterally
The stomach is exposed and looks good.
Fourth Step: Take out the stomach with fingers. It looks like there's a puffer inside undigested
Fifth Step: Cut open the stomach from its head and the puffer was confirmed.
The rest of the fishes were not cut up to preserve some form in nirvana.
It is interesting that the puffer remains undigested. This suggests two modes of death for the shovel nose: The puffer either puffed up after devouring, causing pain to the shovel which ended up in its death (but which the stomach remains intact), or toxins were released in some other way causing the death of the shovel nose. Either way, the main cause is the puffer.
Conclusion: The introduction of puffers to a freshwater pond has caused the death of 4 carnivorous predators - 2x spotted gars, 1x arowana, 1x shovel nose. Do not feed puffer to your fishes as it is likely to cause the predator's death.
