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TheFishGuy presents . . .
Freshwater / Saltwater / Marine Messageboard -- There's Somethin' Fishy Goin' On Here!
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| Emperor Angelfish | Freshwater Angelfish | Protomelas Spilonotus | Clown Triggerfish |
| How Big Is My Tank? |
| © 2008-2011 Tropical Fish Forum / TheFishGuy Last Updated : April 20, 2011 |
| Contrary to what you may believe, or what you may have been told by the store/company that sold you your aquarium, your tank is probably not quite as big as it was advertised. Are you surprised to hear this? There is a very simple formula for figuring out the actual volume of an empty tank, and it looks like this: l x w x h ÷ 231 = total volume That formula means length times width times height divided by 231. This is because one gallon of water occupies an area of 231 cubic inches. In this case, we measure as follows . . . length = front left side to front right side width = front to back (also known as depth) height = top to bottom If you use the above simple formula, you will quickly discover how corrupt aquarium manufacturers are, because they advertise and sell aquariums claiming that they are of a certain size, when they are really not; they are in fact somewhat smaller. When you do your measurements, make sure that you measure the inside dimensions of the aquarium. You can measure the outside dimensions, but in that case, you need to subtract the thickness of the glass from your measurements. For example, if your tank is four to six foot long, the glass can be up to half an inch thick on each pane, so you would subtract one inch from the total length, and one inch from the total width when you take your measurements. Of course, while the above formula will tell you how much water your empty tank can hold, it does not provide you with an accurate measurement of how much water your tank will actually hold once it is fully set up. This is simply because you never fill a tank all the way to the top. Furthermore, you have to allow for displacement by gravel, rocks and other tank decor. In the end, after it is completely set up, a fifty-gallon tank may actually only hold somewhere between 30-40 gallons of water. It is important to keep this figure in mind when you are determining how many fish -- or fish inches -- a tank can safely hold before overcrowding, and water pollution becomes a problem. Regards,
TheFishGuy
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