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I just got two RESs' from my brother, well more so took them from my brother. He had them in a 25 gal tank and just enough water to cover their backs plus like an inch and to dirty to speak , anyways I now have them in a 55 gal tank and trying to figure out what these turtles are all about. I have a few questions. First, is it normal for them to shed their skin, not shell sections but their skin? Second, how do I know what sex they are? Third, what food will give them what they need the most? Thank you for any assistance.

It is normal for them to shed their skin. Read all the stickys throughout the forum and you will find a lot of what you need to know.

Try Reptomin turtle sticks. Feed the amount that fits inside their heads once a day if they are under 2" in length.

You cannot sex a turtle until they are about 4 inches in shell length

Thank you for the reply , the turtles are on 7 the other 6 inches long. Yes I know that the tank need to be bigger, 130 or more gallons I belive. I am working on that now, need the cash. So how can you check the sex from the previous post I believe they are big enough? Also, how could these guys have survived my brother got them when they were say 3 inches long Also they have grown quite fast.

Here is a guideline:

Male:
Claws on the front legs are longer (sometimes about an inch)
Tail is thin and long
The poop hole is closer to the tip of the tail.
The Plastron (bottom shell) is curved in (concave)

Female:
Tail is short and chubby
Poop hole is closer to the bottom shell
The Plastron is curved out or flat (depending on species)

Anything I forgot will probably be pointed out by someone else

Hey thanks everyone for the help. One more question. What is a good brand for the lights needed. Is there one bulb that will cover everything? Again Thankyou very much.

If you want to spend the money you could get a UVB/UVA mercury vapor bulb, which will do the work of the lights you normally would need. Active UV Heat (T-Rex) and Powersun (Zoo-Med) are the brands many people buy. (On-line is much cheaper than buying them at a petstore.)

If you don't want a MVB, look for Reptisun UVB light (there are others, but the Reptisun 5.0 is popular). A regular light bulb will work fine for a heat lamp.