Tank Measurement?

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roberts0909

Guest
I bought a used glass tank yesterday. It was advertised as a 120 gallon, but when I measure it I come up with something less.
The problem I have is about how (advertised) capacity is measured. Length and width are not an issue. But when I measure from the point where the waterline should probably be (bottom of tank to the bottom of the bottom of the supporting band around the top [what is this called, anyway?]) and plug those numbers into this calculator I get 105 gallons. If I measure from the bottom of the glass to the absolute top, where I'd have to rely on surface tension to hold in the water I get 109 gallons.
My questions:
- which number should be used to price the tank?
- are these numbers within normal variances for glass tanks?
- if there is an accepted standard variation, what is it?
TIA,
Ben
 
R

roberts0909

Guest
I'm not sure if you mean inside or outside, so here's both:
Inside (LWH):
71.25" x 17.25 x 19.75" (or 20.5" for the point at which water will spill onto the floor)
Outside (LHW):
72.0 x 18.0 x 21.0
Better lighting allows a slight change in the original computation, but only by two gallons. I now calculate 105 or 109 gallons. I'll update the original post to reflect this.
 
R

roberts0909

Guest
The site doesnt specify inside or outside dimensions. Inside dimensions tell how much a container can hold.
Maybe outside is "understood," but being new I assumed inside since they cannot know the thickness of the material used. Are measurements assumed to be outside?
There are two problems. 1) did I pay for a 120 and get a 100? 2) from what I'm reading knowing how much water is in a tank is important.
 
nysharkbait

nysharkbait

Member
Sizes are fairly generic. My tank is 72'' x 18'' x 22''. It's called "125" but it's really 123 with OUTSIDE measurements. You got what you paid for. I don't think a tank exists that holds exactly what it says. No worries dude, you're ok.
 
R

roberts0909

Guest
That answers my question. Apparantly it's "marketing capacity" like you find in hard drives and the old CRT monitors (remember "viewable" vs. advertised sizes?)
Thanks, NYSharkBait!
 
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