Dogface Puffer ate my Horseshoe Crab?

[mike]

Got an unusual question, I have 2 horseshoe crabs, a small one and a bit
larger one. I got a dogface puffer that I got few days ago. Yesterday
morning the biggest crab shed his shell, so I am assuming he was very
vulnerable. When I came home from work last night, the puffer was all
swelled up, had darker colored spots on him, kind of like big patches
that were darker, and the crab looked like something was munching on
him. Shell was missing chunks, wasn't much left of him.

Besides the 2 crabs and puffer, I also have a tomatoe clown, yellow
tang, banded coral shrimp, and 2 pepermint shrimp, and a what looks like
a brittle starfish (LFS called it a serpent starfish). Did the puffer
do that to the crab? I dont think anything else could of done that to
him. Was it just cause he was vulnerable since he just molted? Should
I return the puffer if I plan on keeping crabs and such if he did do it?

Also, my starfish, the tips of his tenticles I have noticed over the
weeks have been getting slightly discolored, and then tonight I noticed
just the very tips seem to be gone, is that just part of the process
they go thru when growing? Only like 1/8 or 1/16 of inch is missing
from them, not very much. Puffer hasn't been nibbling on him to has he?

Thanks for all the help, love the group!

Mike

[George Patterson]

mike wrote:
>
> Was it just cause he was vulnerable since he just molted? Should
> I return the puffer if I plan on keeping crabs and such if he did do it?

From "The Puffer Forum" --

Puffer’s Diet
All puffers need hard-shelled, meaty foods to keep their teeth trimmed. Like
rabbits, their teeth grow constantly and can overgrow enough to cause starvation
in the fish. Puffers eat crustaceans in the wild. Foods for smaller puffers are
frozen/freeze-dried krill/plankton, gut-loaded ghost shrimp, glass worms,
crickets, worms and small snails (the size of their eye). Snails are an
essential food to a puffer’s diet, especially when small. Many serious puffer
keepers breed their own snails. The easiest way to start your snail “nursery” is
to gather them from live plants at your local fish store. Most folks won’t mind
your taking them, since they are considered pests. Do not feed your puffers the
ice cream coned shaped snails called Malaysian trumpet snails! MTS’s shells are
too hard for puffer’s teeth and have been known to crack them, making it
difficult for them eat correctly.

For larger puffers, there are many more crunchy foods to eat. Large puffers will
eat scallops, shrimp, crab legs, mussels, clams, oysters, squid, lobster and
crayfish. Mine love to chase live crayfish, fiddler crabs and gut-loaded ghost
shrimp. I gut-load (pre-feed) my live food with algae wafers, so my puffers get
their veggies. You should be able to buy most of these foods at the fish
department of your grocery or produce store, freeze and later thaw in warm
vitamin water as needed.

George Patterson
Whosoever bloweth not his own horn, the same shall remain unblown.

[OneZero1010101]

Wow, Thanks George, Guess that explains it then dont it.

Mike

George Patterson wrote:
> mike wrote:
>
>>
>> Was it just cause he was vulnerable since he just molted? Should I
>> return the puffer if I plan on keeping crabs and such if he did do it?
>
>
> From "The Puffer Forum" --
>
> Puffer’s Diet
> All puffers need hard-shelled, meaty foods to keep their teeth trimmed.
> Like rabbits, their teeth grow constantly and can overgrow enough to
> cause starvation in the fish. Puffers eat crustaceans in the wild. Foods
> for smaller puffers are frozen/freeze-dried krill/plankton, gut-loaded
> ghost shrimp, glass worms, crickets, worms and small snails (the size of
> their eye). Snails are an essential food to a puffer’s diet, especially
> when small. Many serious puffer keepers breed their own snails. The
> easiest way to start your snail “nursery” is to gather them from live
> plants at your local fish store. Most folks won’t mind your taking them,
> since they are considered pests. Do not feed your puffers the ice cream
> coned shaped snails called Malaysian trumpet snails! MTS’s shells are
> too hard for puffer’s teeth and have been known to crack them, making it
> difficult for them eat correctly.
>
> For larger puffers, there are many more crunchy foods to eat. Large
> puffers will eat scallops, shrimp, crab legs, mussels, clams, oysters,
> squid, lobster and crayfish. Mine love to chase live crayfish, fiddler
> crabs and gut-loaded ghost shrimp. I gut-load (pre-feed) my live food
> with algae wafers, so my puffers get their veggies. You should be able
> to buy most of these foods at the fish department of your grocery or
> produce store, freeze and later thaw in warm vitamin water as needed.
>
> George Patterson
> Whosoever bloweth not his own horn, the same shall remain unblown.