Need advice!

There's SO MUCH information on this forum! And it doesn't seem to be in one easily digestible place. I'm new to axolotls, and currently have 3 freckled leus, with up to 3 more of different colors coming soon!

I read that up until 6" they should be kept separate, so they don't cannibalize. Mine are each in individual Critter Keepers at this point. I am feeding them thawed-frozen bloodworms 2 times a day, with a 75-80% water change (conditioned water that has been sitting out at least 24 hours and is room temperature) once a day.

How soon can I put them together? Do they really have to be 6"? Should I have individual tanks for them all set up? With filters and hides and what not?

My goal is to eventually divide the axolotls into 3-4 tanks I have available. But do I need to do that now? They are so tiny, I think they'll never find food!

I've read "10 gallons per axolotl" - what does that actually mean? If I have a 40 gallon tank - I'm not actually going to fill it to the top. More like half or even a fourth. So that's 10 gallons, but it is a very large area, and square inches.

At what point should I try to start them on pellets? Will they continue to eat twice a day? At what point to I change them to once a day?

I'm reading and reading and reading. But - there's too much conflicting info. "Never use substrate. Only use sand. Only use large rocks. Never use live plants. Never use plastic plants. They are solitary. They like to be in groups....."

Anyone have the recommended low-down??

Thanks!
Val

Oh! And what's the truth about temp?

One place says "Anything over 70 will kill them." Another says "Anything over 75 will kill them"??

Mine are in their own room. I'm currently using evaporation via fan to keep their water cool. It goes to about 67-68 at night, but may be up to 72 during the day. Is that ok? They certainly seem to eat well!

I can only speak from my own experiences.
I kept babies in groups of three, and at five months had no cannibalism.......just fed lots of blood worms twice a day. I put them in a shallow reptile bowl so they could find them, and at about four months moved onto chopped earthworms and small pellets.......some got the idea straight away, others eventually........but kept the bloodworms going to make sure they were well fed.
The cooler the better as they are naturally from glacial lakes.
Tank bottom size is important rather than height and depth.
Bare bottom suits me as I can clean easily
Keep eye on water parameters.

As I say this is how I do things.....babies all rehomed at 5 months.......but still have 8 adults.....three of these are now 7 years old......so must be doing it about right

Axies do like to be with other axies, use sand or bare bottom for a substrate, food gets stuck under big rocks and makes the tank look dirty. Live plants and plastic plants are fine as long as nothing fake has crazy sharp edges or things that could hit the axie. I have live and plastic plants in my tank and they like to sit on them but live plants are great for keeping up water parameters and oxygenating the water. Plus they look nice but are more expensive. I would say fill up the 40 gallon because not all but my axies love to swim up also it's easier to keep cool with more water in it. 3 axies plus decorations would fit comfortably in the 40. Once they're fully grown you'll probably want to separate sexes into different tanks. I fed my guy twice a day with pellets and blood worms up until about 5 inches and then started on worms with blood worm, guppy and shrimp treats ( people will differe on opinion a lot here) and then fi feed them once a day. Axies will eat until they throw up so its okay to walk away after you've fed them and there still giving you the puppy dog eyes.

Where to start!?
Why are you keeping them separate? They don't need to be to kept individually at all. Axies are always cannibalistic, they just can't do much damage to each other once they are over a certain size. I always keep axies in small groups, I believe they need to be socialised like puppies, but I do separate males and females to prevent unexpected eggs.
They should be on earthworms as soon as their mouths are big enough, bloodworms lack calcium and are only suitable for smaller axies. You can switch to worms or pellets as soon as they will accept them. Once they are about 2" you can cut down to once a day feeds.
More water = better water quality. There is no reason to only fill a tank part way. You need 20gal for one adult axie then 10gal per extra one.
Plants - live, plastic or silk are all fine. Just beware of live plants dying and causing an ammonia spike.
I personally prefer bare bottom tanks, sand is safe for larger axies, large stones tend to trap food and poop between them making it hard to clean.

But the truth is that you have to find out what works for you and your axies. I have one axie who likes to live alone, another who gets really stressed when isolated. One who does nothing but swim laps round the bottom of the tank, others who like to sit in plants or on top of ornaments, still others who like to hide in tunnels. Take the time to find out what your axies seem to like, observe them, try different foods, different layouts in tanks.

Will preface this with a statement - I'm not an expert. Will share what has worked so far for our axie's.

Temperature - mine prefer to be in the 62F-63F range. Any higher and they don't come out and move about the tank as much - will spend the day in hides. I see you live in Texas. Honestly the best way to keep the water cool is via a chiller. The humidity levels are simply too high for fans to be very effective. You mention a 40 gallon tank so a chiller is what would work for that level. Personally, I wouldn't put more than 3 adults in a 40 gallon tank.

Per advice read on this forum, our axis do well co-located with peers of similar size. No cannibalism as long as all are well fed and have enough floor space and hides.

Good luck! and Have fun! these are amazing creatures.