Snail problem, removal methods??

Well from all you have said..

• No trapping
• No chemicals
• No squishing

I would suggest you get to know each one on a personal basis so when your guest come over and say "Wow man that is a lot of snails". You can respond with "Those aren't snails those are my frineds... See there is Lilly, she is a real hussie and over there is Frank he is kind of a loner ... and over there is Harry, don't stare at him to long he get's really upset when people stare at him and gets violent. Last time someone stared too long it took me 3 weeks to get the slime off the glass left behind...."

In all seriousness you have ruled out basically all methods of getting rid of the snails. Trapping would be your quickest method although it will not get them all but will cut back the #'s.

Other than that Assassin Snails are your only option, since Loaches are social and 35 gallons is a little small for most of the real snail eaters to live when you get a group of 6 or more. Assassins will get them but it is a slow process and will not happen quickly.

how bad could it be to make a trap then have to reach all the way to the bottom to take like 20 of them out at a time? haha
then mail them to me

you could keep a dp in another tank then you will never have enough snails

Yeah, you could trap them an remove them, or just reach in and pick up as many as you can. But don't turn them loose in the wild!

I think trapping is going to be your best bet. Just put in a leaf of lettuce then remove it when it's covered in snails. Freeze them then dispose of them. Do not get a dwarf puffer because I don't think it's compatible with your other fish. Are you sure you are not overfeeding? usually the best way to control their numbers is to cut back on feeding. Most "pest snails" out there do not eat plants. I had an outbreak of pond snails in my planted tank so for a few weeks I only fed my betta every other day and the number of snails decreased quite a bit and they never touched my plants (besides the dead leves which I appreciated)

What may or may not work: (If it doesn't work- you have some adorable little shrimp in your tank! )

A large colony of ghost shrimp. from 10cents to 50 cents each depending where you shop. Add very little to the biolode.

I've noticed an almost immediate reduction in my bladder snails since having them. (took less than a week- I've now had them about 3 weeks)... more so with the smaller ones than the full grown adult snails.

1) Ghost Shrimp eat snail eggs.
2) Ghost Shrimp scavenge for the same foods snails eat. Less food/less snails.
3) People seem to debate the success of this- but SOME ghost shrimp seem to eat the smallest snails... There are a few witnessed accounts of this happening- what I've noticed though is that I don't have many small snails anymore.

My MTS population seems untouched... my Ramshorn population seems untouched... although I used to have a beautifull tiny golden-yellow Ram "Goldie"- stood out because he was the only one I've seen that colour...

I haven't seen him in a while. I don't know if he died, was eaten, or if his shell darkened with age.

I cut a 20 oz bottle in half and attached fishing line to the sides of the bottom half. I put a piece of snail jello or fresh veggie in it at lights out and lower it to the bottom leaving the fishing line hang out through the top. The next morning I lift the bottle out by the fishing line with a good 50 snails in it.

I have tied fishing line to lettuce and pulled it out that way too