What’s needed for 2 year old turtle (red ear slider)?

oikoσ

The main problem is that they need a lot of tank space (bottom area). RES are very aggressive and territorial. A lot of books suggest 10 gallons of tank per inch of turtle shell, cumulative, as a bare minimum. When you have any territorial turtles in the mix, I suggest half again that amount. Thus, if you had painted turtles (not AS territorial) of 2" and 3", a 50-gallon tank would do. For sliders, I'd want at least a 75-gallon tank. Now, here's the good news. If you can get a child's wading pool, it has plenty of bottom area. The pools are cheap (I've seen them as low as $7.50) and light-weight and easy to move. If you can get one of the larger stiff plastic pools, so much the better. It could work very well even in your new place, until the turtles are large enough to climb out, in a few years. I suggest feeding them earthworms, fishes, and liver. Once they are adult, you can add plant matter. You want a place for them to bask; a board will do if it is stabilized at a slight angle. A basking light goes over the board. If you rely on the light to let the turtles make their own vitamin D, you need a UVB bulb, replaced every 6 months. That's why I feed liver; it provided dietary vitamin D; all I need is an incandescent bulb for heat (90 deg. F at the basking site). Water should be at 80 deg. F for RES. Thermometers are helpful. If you don't want to spend your life cleaning tanks, get an aquarium filter rated for 2-3 times the amount of water in the tank [Ratings are based on fish, which are less messy.] and don't be in a hurry to clean the filter material. Don't us aquarium gravel or anything else some half-trained sales clerk recommends.