Gallons/liters or foots/centimetres? Rule of thumb for the number of axolotls in the new tank.

Hello everybody,

My pair of axolotls had babies, which are juveniles right now. We plan to keep a couple of them, and naturally need a larger tank. What we thought, is a tank with such parameters: 120 cm (length) x 40 cm (width) x 30 cm (height), 144 liters.

The logic behind such parameters is such: in a long run we want to keep 4 adult axolotls. I read that a rule of thumb, if measuring in liters is 10 galons (around 40 liters). So such tank would't satisfy this condition (4 axolotls), but...

I also read and kinda think myself, that it is not the liters that matter, but the length and space of the "floor" of tank. So such tank, if thought in this way, should be ok: 30 cm (1 ft) for each axolotl.

What do you think?

My tank has similar dimensions. Same length, same width mine is just a little taller giving me the extra water ( but that aside I have 2 adults in there with the last 1/3rd of the tank divided off for a smaller juvenile. Now technically I could have 5 adults in my 4ft using the 10 gallon rule but to be perfectly honest I wouldn't go for more than 3 simply because at the moment with just the 3 it's doesn't LOOK big enough for any more than that to have enough room to get away from each other particularly so once I'd added enough hides etc. for them to keep them all happy.

You probably could house 4 adults in that tank as long as you managed your maintenance well, you only just fall short of that 40th gallon after all, but I suspect like me once you see it all put together with the animals in there you'd find that even with the extra width it will look cramped and may very well lead to more nipping accidents than another foot of length would afford you.

I have a short little 10 gallon I keep a little 3 moth old in and it's fine but there is no way I'd get any of my adults in there even though it is 10 gallons.