Habitat - Indoor :: Old Tank - Few Questions

[b-tuned]

I have an old 10 gallon tank thats been sitting in a corner for a few years. I was planning on getting a baby RES for it for little while and then get a much larger tank.

It was just drained before being left in a corner so its quite dirty. Whats the best way to clean it, baking soda? Then vinegar if its still not clean?

As far as equipment I have:
-50watt underwater heater (EBO-JAGER?)
-an undergravel setup with a Powerhead 201
-small air thing Elite 799
-Aquaclear mini with no case, I have the motor, sponge and charcoal new in boxes

I was planning on using sand so I'm guessing the undergravel stuff is useless. So what can I use from my old stuff? How should I go about cleaning old equipment as well as a few fake plants?

~B

[megcornell]

To clean the tank you can use vinegar and rinse it very well.
As for supplies, the heater and air bubbler are fine... the undergravel filter won't be strong enough. You should buy a filter rated for a 20-30gallon tank- turtles put a lot more stress on filters than fish do so you need one that's rated for a tank 2-3x the size of your tank.
You're wise not to put gravel in- it's very dangerous, turtles have a nasty habit of eating it and becoming impacted which can lead to death.
Turtles, especially young ones enjoy resting on fake plants so pick up a few of those for the tank as well.
You didn't mention lights but you'll need a UVA (housebulb) for heat and a UVB for vit D production.
You'll also need a basking area that's positioned under the lights- it should be around 90 F and the water should be around 78F for a baby.

[b-tuned]

Do I need to let the water cycle before putting a turtle in, maybe keep a fish in there for a week? Should I treat the water with anything special?

~B

[octpusgirl8]

You can let it cycle first if you want, but i don't think it's really necessary, turtles aren't nearly as sensitive to that kind of thing as fish are. You should probably treat the water with a water conditioner that removes chlorine and chloramines if you have city water.