tiny white bugs in tank

Question
I have a freashwater tank with 2 turtles and lots of shrimp. Just the other day i noticed tons of these tiny white things on the surface of the water. At first i thought they were baby shrimp, but then i read your answer about round worms. They first appeared when i added sand to my tank and i am worried that they might be bad for my soft shelled turtle. Can you tell me if they are harmful or how to get rid of them? Thank you!

Answer
Dear Asia,
Yes it certainly does sound like your aquarium has roundworms or nematodes as they may be called. This tiny creatures tend to appear in a tank with a high bioload or one with a high wasteload. These worms are harmless to fish and (although no expert on turtles) doubt they would harm your soft shelled Turtle.

The best way to get rid of them is daily gravel vacumming (or careful top surface sand vacumming--be sure to stir it in all areas on occasion to be sure it doesn't become too impacted) and daily water changing. Be sure you aren't allowing too much uneaten food to accumulate and that your filter isn't too dirty.

With these steps, it is usually quite easy to get rid of the white bugs. You will get rid of the majority of them, but there may be just one or two still wiggling around. For the most part, they do dissapear once your water quality is good and not polluted.

I really hope this helps!
Best wishes,
Karen~