Tiny snail infestation and algae on plants

So I got several live plants in the mail a little over a week ago and made the mistake of not rinsing them off before planting them in my tank. I noticed a couple tiny snails a few days ago and now they’re all over the place, I’ve lost count. I also see what looks like some snail eggs on my Amazon sword, so guessing they came in with the plants. I have 1 female betta and approx 12 shrimp total (2 adults and 10 babies that hatched a few weeks ago).

So my question is, what should I do with all these tiny snails?? Leave them? Remove them? Will they ruin my parameters? I know they can help keep the algae down but there’s just so many! Also, does the algae on my Amazon sword look normal or should I take it out and rinse off and put back in? And lastly, does anyone know what kind of snails these are judging by the pic?

Thank you in advance!!

 

The snails look like they're probably bladder snails. They shouldn't ruin your parameters, there would have to be a LOT, you can take them out if you want or just take like half, they're not very aesthetically pleasing to most people, if you leave them just don't overfeed your tank and they probably won't be a problem.

 

Algae wise, that looks like the start of bba. I'd look at not only rinsing the plant but also cut back on the feedings along with perhaps a water change.

By cutting back on the feedings, you'll also cut back on the snail food which in time will cut down on their population. No food to eat, less snails.

 

Looks like bladder snails to me too. For the record, you can rinse plants endlessly & still get snails. I treat new plants (except tissue culture) with a brief bleach bath before introduction for any parasites/bacteria. Then again, I actually request 'pest' snails at the LFS for my bettas & general tank health. They're good for mixing up the substrate & eating many algaes without significantly increasing the bioload. I remove any that get too big - mostly ramshorns - that may affect water parameters. I also remove dead snails I can see, promptly, to avoid ammonia spikes & the addition of calcium from their shells to my already calcium heavy water. If I've overfed & the number of snails explode, I drop in a bit of boiled zucchini or cucumber overnight & take it out in the morning, covered with snails to distribute amongst tanks of snail eaters.

Generally, I leave any algae to the snails & shrimpies, except BBA (blck beard algae), which it looks like you have. I don't like it because eventually it'll cover leaves to the extent it prevents photosynthesis & kills the plant. When it occurs, I brush it off as much as possible with a clean toothbrush, suck up the floating bits with a turkey baster & look to see what is off with my water, lights & other plants that encouraged it. Tucking more plants in & paying attention to nitrates is my usual route for BBA.

If I've ignored it too long & it's heavy, I remove the plant & treat with peroxide. I know some peroxide treat inside the tank but I never have, nor have I used Excel to eliminate it as some recommend. Yours doesn't look too heavy & if it bothers you, you might remove & peroxide treat or loòk at in-tank peroxide treatment if it's a heavily rooted plant. I don't keep swords so am unsure about uprooting. I do know that the planted tank threads should have plenty of advice if you plug "BBA treatment" into the search function.

Hope it helps & good luck. You might find your new snails a fun addition to the tank. A good magnifying glass helps with viewing the snail circuses these guys often put on.

 

Thank you everyone for the helpful advice! I’ve removed my Amazon sword and Java fern and cleaned/removed algae covered leaves and everything is looking much better. Not noticing anymore of the BBA on anything else so hopefully I’ve gotten rid of it! Leaving bladder snails in for now to see how they do and how my tank does.