cleaning a new-to-me aquarium

I was just given a 40 (?) gallon aquarium that used to house turtles. The woman that gave it to me was very concerned about diseases and germs. She told me I needed to clean it out with saltwater before I do anything else, and that I need to wear rubber gloves while doing it. I'm not familiar with how to do these things, or if I even need to do them.

Any ideas?

 

A diluted bleach solution should kill any nasties from the turtles. I believe the mixture is 1 part bleach to 8 or 9 parts water.

-Chelle

 

Would I just let it soak for a day or two and then rinse it, or put a couple of gallons of water in the bottom, add the bleach and scrub? I've never done anything like this and I'm a bit concerned I might mess it up.

 

Bleach is pretty good at killing on contact. If it were a smaller tank, I'd just fill it, dump in the bleach and let it sit for 15 minutes or so. But since it's a bigger tank (don't want to waste that much water), I'd just put the mixture in a spray bottle and spray it down really well and let it sit for a while.

-Chelle