Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 6:27 pm
Nice-looking RES, especially for living in less than adequate conditions. (Are those whitish areas on top scutes that are starting to come off?)
A shot of the tail showing the underside would be a better indicator, but, if the turtle is at least 2 years old, I'm going to assume that with those nails, "he" is really a "she."
I can't tell how big she is (you measure straight from the scute behind the neck down the spine to the ones above the tail without including the curve of the shell), but she must be around 4 inches? (A 40-gallon tank would ideally be good for a 4-inch turtle; a guide is to allow 10 gallons of tank for each inch of shell.) If you're looking at a 40-gallon tank, consider a 40-gallon breeder---it allows more horizontal room for swimming. But, I have to say that going bigger would be even better to accomodate future growth.
Now that I know you're getting a bigger tank, I'm going to change what I said above---if it were me, a filter would be my top priority. Look at some of the threads on the forum to get an idea of what people are using. Unless you're a glutton for punishment, you don't want to be changing water all the time.
Even if you get a heater, your RES will need a UVB light in addition to that lightbulb which is providing basking heat.
Before you rely on salespeople to tell you what should be purchased, it really would be good to do a little reading on the site and forums to get a good idea of what your RES needs.
BTW, of all the things your nephew didn't do for him---he did one thing right and that was not to overfeed him. I don't know what pellets you're using, but the instructions on invariably all pellet containers exaggerate how much to feed. The standard guide for feeding pellets is up to a year feed daily (unless growth is noticeably excessive), after a year every other day. The portion size would be an amount that would fit into the head (don't include the neck) if it were empty.
Did she eat the carrots? If so, great. Start offering other types of vegetation (look at the list in the feeding forum on what's good to give). Dandelion greens and red leaf lettuce are good.She can be offered some type of appropriate veggie/plant matter daily, even on the days she gets pellets. She can have the occasional treat (a bit of shrimp, and earthworm, etc. as well. A decent secondary calcium supplement is cuttlebone (same stuff that is put into bird cages).
They do require an initial investment if they're going to be cared for right, but the result (a healthy, alert RES) is worth it.
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." -Antoine de Saint Exupery-
He has been in roon temp water and no basking light. However seems very healthy. I desided ill need to get a basking light and a water heater but, what worries me will I hurt him by changing what he is used to? And whats the most important the basking light or water heater? I want to do the right thing for the little guy 
this is a full shot