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I have a little 2" RES that I've adopted. I currently have an emergency 10-gallon tank but I need to look for a larger tank to house him. I'll be ordering an XP3 is I can afford it in the near future.
I live in NYC (Brooklyn). I'm not certain what the tap water here is conditioned with...can someone from NYC tell me if I need to test for chlorine, etc?
Also, I need to test for ammonia, nitrates, and nitrates when I get the filter connected, correct? Can someone recommend an inexpensive product to accomplish this?
Do I need to concern myself with pH level testing now or not?

Thanks a bunch for any help.

Welcome. (Didn't I just see this exact same post somewhere else? ) You can find out about your water by contacting the Dept. of Public Works, I think. I would think, though, that NYC water would be treated (most water in larger cities is), and a dechlorinator would be a wise thing to get. Increasingly, city water is being treated with chloramine, and you would want to get a dechlorinator that eliminates both (I used to use a product called Reptisafe).

Finding out about the water quality by testing for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate is important when you get that bigger tank and the XP3. I use testing kits to test for each of them, and usually use the kits by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. I think you can buy products that test for more than one substance at a time, but I've never used them. There are also testing strips (more convenient but expensive from what I've seen and some have questioned their reliability).

RES can take a somewhat wider range of pH than some other species of turtles. Mine is consistently around 7. I have a kit for testing pH as well, but don't test for it as often as the other three.

I got a kit called "Freshwater Master Test Kit" from Petsmart. The manufacturer is Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. It was in the fish section. It contains tests for ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. I believe it was about $32. You can test for each condition dozens of times. I've been using it for awhile and haven't come near to running out of supplies for any of the tests.

I'll bet you could get it or something like it mail order if there's not a Petsmart near you.

I live in NYC too. Yes, our water is treated with a bunch of stuff, including chlorine. The pet stores sell something called SuperChlor I think it is - just a couple of drops help remove chlorine fast.

I use Amquel Plus which removes chlorine and any metals in the water.

Thanks a bunch for the replies!
OK, I see what is needed fopr testing. How about the Mardel test strip kits? Are these easier to use?

Is ReptiSafe water conditioner a product similiar in purpose to Amquel?

PS: Yes, I posted the same question to another forum. I just rescued a turtle (2" RES) and am trying to find out some specific care and product info that isn't easy for me to locate. I'll post a formal introduction with some pics when I have a little time : )

Yes, Reptisafe is similar to Amquel. It also gets rid of chlorine from the water.

I also live in Brooklyn, NY and I use Reptisafe as well. In general, I think the water is safe since I've used it without any solution for years. However, just to be on the safe side, I just use Reptisafe to be on a safer side nowadays.