39 Gallon Stocking?

[alainabryce_]

I have done lots of work on this tank (building a 3D background and etc) and because of these projects it has been cycling for well over a year and I am FINALLY ready for some fish. The tank is heavily planted with soil substrate and is heated, filtered, all that jazz. For a long time I have been interested in cory catfish, particularly dwarf cories. I also have a snail problem in the tank so my question is would a pea puffer nip and chase a school of 20 dwarf cories? I'd love to have a pea puffer to take care of the snails and a decent school of cories but I don't want my catfish to suffer. Any advice or suggestions will be very appreciated!!

 

[DreaminginBlue]

Personally, I wouldn't chance a puffer with the cories. You could always see if you could borrow the puffed for a while to deal with your snail problem and then return it so you can get cories, or you can choose another fish that eats snails, like a loach of some sort, thy won't bother your cories.
Hope this helps.

 

[V227]

Over the years, I have had snail infestations. Some so bad that you could literally watch the gravel shift and move during day viewing. Each time I solved the problems with snail eating fish. Tiger botias, and juvenile Festae cichlids. Both species absolutely thrashed and totally eliminated the snails. Neither species are suitable long term for your set up but temporarily housing a few juvenile Tiger botias would likely wipe out the snails within a month. They are fun to watch but as they grow, their bad attitudes grow too. Had to re-home them. I don't remember the Tigers pestering the catfish, but they did chase the others. Might be better in your situation to starve the snails out combined with thorough gravel vacs.