Aquarium Size

[SittingDuck]

I've run this calculator 4 times and I keep getting the same result. I was told my tank was 130 Gallons when I purchased it, but when I run this calculator it's telling me it's a 143 Gallon:

http://www.petfish.net/mea.htm

http://www.petfish.net/calculate.htm

My tank is 72 inches long, 19 inches wide, 24 inches deep.

Does anyone else get any conflicting results? Or do I have a bigger tank then I thought I did? How am I supposed to be measuring? From the inside of the tank or the outside?

 

[DARK Jak]

from the outside
but are you shure that it isnt 72,20,24
i no you said otherwise but it would make sence
19 is a wierd # for a tank lieghth but if it was a spesalized tank you could be right

 

[Jchillin]

By using the calculator provided by AA, your tank is 142g. Tanks of that size utilize denser glass but that would not increase your tank by 13 additional gallons. I would say that you got yourself a great deal and a huge tank.

 

[TomK2]

Um, the inside measurements yeild the volume. But since the glass is less than a half inch thick, it won't change the reading that much on a large tank.

Most people are shocked to find out that the true capacity is often as much as 10% less than what it was sold as, so you are the rare exception!

edit: it is a rectangular tank, right? any curves, bows etc. make the standard calculators incorrect.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

My 150 is actually a 155. I take it that's normal.

 

[TomK2]

I used the calculator, with the inside dimensions, and the height that my water is kept at (obviously, it isn't filled to the brim), and for an oceanic 55+ (the + denotes greater height, not more volume), I got 53 gallons. Not too bad. Glass width takes just under one inch off the lenght and width. My 10 gal tanks come out at about 9 gallons. Perhaps the overstate phenomenon is a function of the smaller tanks, as their dimensions were fixed eons ago and were given names that were closest to what they held, usually rounded up.

edit: now try and figure out what the volume of your substrate and decorations are to know your true, effective volume!

 

[Toirtis]

Ran it through 4 online calculators (other than the ones already used), and did my own calculations, and all fell between 142.11-142.14 US gallons.

 

[SittingDuck]

Wow! See, this kind of sucks because all of my lighting calculations were done off the basis that it was a 130 Gallon tank. So now I have to recalculate everything and possibly buy more lighting.

It's a glass aquarium, not acrylic, so the thickness is about half an inch on each pain of glass. Yes, it's rectangular and I could actually take a very comfortable bath in it if I wanted (I'm 5'10").

19 is an odd number, and I checked and rechecked by measuring from outside to outside of the tank. It wasn't custom made, I purchased it approx 10 years ago and it was labelled as a 130 Gallon Aquarium.

I didn't calculate to the water line, which probably would have made more sense...So, should this new found calculation make me worry or am I safe with the lighting and whatever I've got taking into account that the volume in the tank probably isn't 142 Gallons....?

 

[Mazdaman]

I got 142.12987013gal or 32832 cubic inches. My graphing calc. has a conversion feature on it that works well. For example my "75gal" actually holds closer to 78gal and with my canister holding 2gal i'm almost at an even 80gal of water. Of course that doesn't take inot account my gravel and decor either but whatever...

 

[docrak]

If you were to add 2 inches of gravel it would come to 13 gallons of gravel thus yielding a 130 gallon tank. Seems like a weird way to specify the volume of a take by taking into account for gravel, but this might help solve the mystery in your tank volume.

 

[SittingDuck]

That would make sense...the tank was not sold with gravel, but it was assumed (at the time) that was what was being put in the tank. I do have approx 2 inches of gravel across the bottom and a few logs...so I'm probably less than 130 Gallons in Volume.

Thanks for the input docrak!