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I've seen some youtube videos on sump filters, not many for turtles so I'm wondering if it would work for a RES, could I use a sump filter or would it not work well for a RES, and if it would work, what size of a sump filter would I need

Sumps rely on surface skimming ! Turtle waste sits on the bottom , a must to be cleaned up. Sumps are "Not" ideal for filtration of a turtle tank. The best filter is one oversized due to how messy a turtle is and setup media for a turtle . The media that comes with a new filter are for fish , not turtles. Now here's the three word's beginners do not want to hear : maintenance , maintenance , maintenance if it needs to be done or not. It's called prevention ! Must be done on a schedule if it needs it or not! Small cheap filters you will be cleaning every 3-5 days along with water changes. A good over sized filter yes you could go three weeks before cleaning but a long time turtle keeper knows doing it every week or two is better and is prevention ! Most long time turtle keepers can see a problem before it starts and will adjust maintenance to fit. Most all illness can be tied to improper maintenance and or improper habitat.
It's great Bryxe that you are doing your homework. Wish more people done it before they got a turtle and thought putting it in a glass of tap water was enough.

Ok thx, I'll be getting the fx6 then

If you do for sure get the FX look here for media placement for a turtle : viewtopic.php?f=9&t=30145

Litefoot is absolutely correct, as the only filter, a sump is a terrible idea for a turtle tank, for the reasons he explained.

However, it's a great addition. I have a large canister filter and a 55 gallon refugium--sump with plants in it. It gives me a place to grow plants for the turtle, that Tobie can't eat until I decide the plant is ready. The floating duckweed is great at sucking up nitrates and making those canister filter changes further apart. Water level in the main tank is always the same.

And, the time my canister filter died, I could wait days to order online because of the biocapaciry of my sump.

I would not want it as my only filter.

I'm currently running a large sump as my only filter. Yes you do need to siphon the bottom of the display tank because the turtle waste sinks and isn't skimmed. The sump does a good job in that I have a MASSIVE amount of space for bio media and a refuge like ljapa with plants for nitrate removal. The large canister filters are ideal for turtle tanks but you CAN get by with a sump if you stay on top of siphoning the turtle waste from the display tank.

Veipa ,
You know I'm a stock tank person. Just been playing around with some ideas. Ever see anyone on a main tank cut the side or bottom glass and install a bulkhead so to drain direct from the bottom of the main into sump ? That way you don't have piping over the top rim of main tank down to the sump. Also I like idea of good flex pipe instead of fixed rigid piping to help keep higher flow. Less fittings. You think it would weaken main tanks glass doing that ?

Besides the concern with the glass--and I think that's a real concern with a stock tank--you're biggest issue with bottom draining is the first power outage means you've drained the tank.

With the top skimming, once the main tank water level is below the drain point, the water stops draining.

Thanks being an old man I was just think of a way maybe for one day down the road. I would also even think about some of todays technology for the over and under flow ....
Then all that is more bells and whistles to break or leak ! I'll be keeping it simple.

I've used an overflow without issue for four and a half years. Started it on a 55 gallon and now it's on a 150.

There's a nipple on top where you attach a tiny pump to restart the siphoning. I've been through multiple power outages, some when I'm not home, with no issues.

Been doing this since the 60's and sometimes my head gets stuck in the old days. Back then almost all pumps would not dry start had to prime. Times I have that dam "Murphy's law" follow me around ! For me I like to (KIS...) having the best simple way seems to work for me, less bells and whistles.