turtles!

Question
hey
ive just cleaned my turtle tank and noticed once it was done hundreds of little white worms about 1cm long and as thin as cotton. i have no idea where they came from or what they are or how to get rid of them! its the first time ive ever seen this. if you can help me figure out what they are and how to make them go away that would be greatly appreciated.
thankyou eveie.

Answer
Hi Eve, There is a small harmless white worm that commonly inhabits both fish and turtle tanks called Planaria. They are found in tanks with gravel and uneaten food. Our fish tank at work developed them and that's when I discovered what they were. Just keeping the gravel vacuumed keeps their numbers down to the point that you don't notice them. The only thing is that Planaria are only 1 or 2 mm long, nowhere near a cm in length. Otherwise your description fits.