Snail's Revenge on Kuhli Loach

Recently I had a small population boom of tiny pond snails. These suckers are so small they float easily on the surface of the water, seemingly hundreds... I've been straining them out with a small nylon net.

My other fish are OK, but I believe my Kuhli loach ate a ton of these things, shell and all (alot of them are about the size of a grain of sand. His stomach is distended, and I actually saw, at one point, him trying to pass a snail shell (I think he did, it's not "there" anymore). He's lethargic and must have digestive and swim bladder issues, he's not swimming well, and I've seen him almost belly up and he's been near the surface most of the day.

I don't think peas or similar would work, he's not really eating and I don't know if there's anything I can do... any suggestions? I had heard someone say epsom salts in another post works for fishy constipation, but he hasn't responded well to salt in the past.

I'm afraid he's not going to make it... :sad:

He died last night... terrible. My hunch was right...I checked him out when I found him motionless and floating this morning and he was loaded with baby snails. What a strange thing, he didn't eat himself to death, he gave himself a fatal snail impaction.

You would think they would have better instincts... next time someone asks me about loaches eating snails I'll be sure to mention this as a warning.

Maybe alternatively the snails were toxic. I have been starving them out by feeding less. Maybe he was eating the dead ones and gases from them decomposing caused him to blow up? He did have alot of air bubbles coming out yesterday.

Pissed off. Wish I could have saved him...