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Hey I need some help! I am getting 2 baby male RES turtles. My friend is not going to be able to care for them. Right now I have a 20gallon tank. I know I will need a bigger tank. Can I buy a 70g tank with a filter and all the heating lamps together if so where to buy from? I am willing and able to care for these turtles. I am having a hard time looking for a tank with stuff included. Is the normal to just buy a regular tank and then get the filter and 2 bulbs needed?

Hatchlings... you won't be certain of gender until they are close to 4" long. If either is a male, you will need to keep him separated from the other. I would not buy a kit because it will include mostly inadequate supplies. Get the largest tank you can now, then you will know what kind of filter and heater to get. A real good bet is to check classifieds... Craigslist will occasionally have real good deals. Local garage sales could yield some good finds too.

Thank you! Right now I have a 20g tank with a filter, UVB and heat bulbs (I believe it was a kit). I have another silly question... Once I get my bigger tank I know I will need a new filter, but can I keep my lights and just add an under water heater? I should be getting my hatchlings by Thursday and will be posting my tank setup soon!

Lights you can keep. Do you have a basking area? Also make sure you have some thermometers since temperatures are pretty important with hatchlings.

I have a floating one but I would like to get one that is completely out of the water soon. I know I need to get 2 thermometers one for basking and one for water. I'm reading different temperatures but what I have estimated is: water 75, basking setup 85. Any temp recomendations?

You can look at resin platforms or get an acrylic one... those you can reuse in a larger tank. You can also use cork bark or make one out of pvc tile (I use one of each). I also like to recommend 2 different types of thermometers -- an infrared one and a stick on lcd. An infrared thermometer is about $10 and takes instant and accurate measurements. The lcd goes on the glass and is a good backup to double check (those cost about $2). Water temps around 78F is good for hatchlings, 85F is good for basking.

Thanks Steve !