30 Gallon fresh setup

[Lego]

I have a 30 gallon that has been recently drained of water. It currently has gravel in it but I am planning to remove the gravel and replace it with sand. I have fake plants and a large rock to hide in, but was curious if this would be safe for the Axie or if real plants and some other sort of deco would be safer. The rock I have has ridged edges.

I plan on ordering JV Axie but from my understanding, its 1 per 10 gallons, so 3 would be my limit is how I understand this. The tank is a long and I also have a 10 gallon tall, but I would like to have more than one Axie, so I figure the 10 tall would not be an ideal setup. I was also thinking of using LED lights or energy efficient lights so there is no heat output.

I live in Kentucky and it gets warm here, so I am thinking I will need a tank cooler, any thoughts on this?

I would also like to put a few community fish that are non-aggressive such as a fire dwarf gourami or a few molly just to give the tank some variation, but I can't seem to find a solid opinion on this that says yes or no. The fish would be quarantined for AT LEAST a month, most likely two so I do not risk the lives of the Axie.

I am new the breed but have become a huge fan in a short amount of time and would like the create a healthy environment to raise them in and would appreciate any sort of advise that you can give.

Thanks so much for reading!

 

[auntiejude]

You tank should be big enough for 2 or 3 - I have 4 in a 150L tank.
Yes, get rid of the gravel. LEDs are good if you have a dimmer control - axies don't like bright light. A chiller may be necessary if you can't keep the temp down in the summer.
If you have 2 axies you will need at least 2 hides. Real plants, plastic, resin and rock are all fine, if you're worried about sharp corners you can file them. But axies are quite hardy, and mine like to scratch themselves on the spikey grass (I think it tickles and they like it).
Please don't put fish in you tank with axies unless they are intended as food. They will either nibble on axies gills or get eaten. The best tank mate for an axie is another axie. The only things in my tank other than axies are river (ghost) shrimp - my axies like to chase them, and occasionally they catch and eat them too.
Have a look through the picture of tanks to get some ideas - better to do it before you get the axies!

 

[Hamamelis]

Fish of any kind are not a good idea as tankmates, besides which, both dwarf gouramis and mollies like a water temperature of at least 25C, which is too hot for 'lotls.

They really do like being able to go into/under some kind of hide, rather than just hiding among plants, especially if you're planning on having lights on.

 

[Lego]

Thanks for the responses folks! Cant wait til my Axies arrive!