Divider?

Hello all :happy:

I have a ten gallon tank for 2 small Axies (the bigger is approx 2.5" long, the other a little smaller) and am having second thoughts about the use of a divider. My bigger Axie Duncan got his foot nipped and is missing his toes, I didn't see the incident, but I did see him avoiding my little one when they were in the tank with no divider.

I separated them about 4 days ago and just noticed that Duncan is a digger and has been working intently on the sand at the base of the divider. I keep pushing sand back, but I am concerned that if he can get to the bottom without my noticing he will try and slide under and potentially hurt himself. Secondly my little one (about 2" long) seems irritated that she/he no longer has the whole tank to explore and pushes the top of the divider slightly out of line every few days. It just seems my smart little babies hate the stupid thing and are bent on it's destruction, but I don't want to remove it if it is more of a risk to them both to live together.

What suggestions do you have for an alternative or a suggestion on whether or not I should remove the divider? I am planning on getting a 20 Gallon tank when they are a little larger and my budget allows but for now what do you guys think would be the best option for both of my babies while they are still in their small tank?

Thanks so much for the input!

Do you have many hides in your tank so they can get out each others view/way when they are getting on each others nerves? If not, you may be able to add some and trial a removal of the divider.

I do have a several plants, rocks etc and 2 6" sections of PVC piping for them each to hide in. I can definitely add more if you think that would help. :happy:

What behaviors should I look for when testing the no-divider tank? the only real behavior I saw last time was one swimming away quickly when the other got too close. Never saw any chomping or harassing when they were together.

I have never kept 2 axies together, but I believe the idea to discourage nibbling is to add as many visual barriers and hides as possible, the less they see each other, the less chance of any nips occurring.

I would also suggest getting a bigger tank than 20 gallons to keep 2 adults, you'll also need to think of upgrading soon, axies really do grow like weeds when they are young.

I've kept 2, Chris is right about creating visual barriers and hides. I would keep an eye on them during dinner time, how do you feed your guys? If you can try and create their "own" dinner time area, I would feed Marilyn at one end and Abraham at the other, Abes would sometimes get cheeky and creep over to Maz's side, I would always have a worm handy to entice him away :happy: