My favorite snail control fish are the cichlids of the genus Paretroplus from Madagascar. I had a tank that would be so think with Malaysian snails that when the lights would first go on, you couldn't see the fish. I put a couple Paretroplus in, and within 24hours, you couldn't find a snail. These cichlids main food source in Madagascar are snails, and they are equip with special teeth that extract snail flesh from any too big to crush.
above Paretroplus maculatus, below P menerambo.
Beyond snail control, they are some my favorite cichlids, and have personality to rival any Central American. P. menerambo get quite large, over 14", maculatus a tad smaller, and are slow growers.
The polys are pretty small too. But your right would eventually be a snack. Gonna read up on tbe puffers maybe another option other than pea puffers...thanks for the suggestion man
When I had an Aro, I tend to feed it a lot. As a result my snail inhabitants (rams horn?) started to grow significantly. Once I started feeding less, I've noticed the snail population has decreased by about at least 75%. They're still around (and I don't mind that), but not overtaking the tank.