How To Calculate Gallons

[Jenste]

I know that to calculate the gallons of a traditional rectangle/square shaped tank is length x width x height.....but how do you calculate a tank in the shape of a hexagon?

I found one for $0.50 at a yard sale - cleaned it, filled it, inspected it for leaks. It is small...max of 5 gallons

(bought it as a possible new tank for the betta)


but how do i figure out what I have???

 

[plecostomus-mad]

this is just a guess, but..........

length and depth would be the same? so measure the top of the hex from left to right and that should give you your length and depth? the height will be a lot more.found this, scroll down to hexagonal tanks

http/animal-world.com/encyclo/information/calculate.htm#Aquarium Volume Calculator

 

[Jenste]

the six sides arent equal...a crude representation is below lol

 

[Jenste]

the gray lines show mirrors which are on three sides of the tank

the front and back sides are equal...then the two sets of sides are each diff lengths.... one set longer, the back side with the mirrors are smaller

 

[plecostomus-mad]

hmmm....tricky.

what is the height and the length of the furthest points left to right and front to back?

 

[plecostomus-mad]

i dont know if your in the states or uk but.....the other way to find out would be to get a measuring jug or 2 liter bottle of coke(empty) and cut the top off, fill and put in the tank. keep track of the number of bottles emptied and work out the gallons so 20 liters here would be close on 5 gallons, 40 would be 10 etc etc. hope this helps

 

[Just_Another_One]

just a thought...if you use it for your betta he might get really stressed being surrounded by 3 mirros 24/7

 

[plecostomus-mad]

just a thought...if you use it for your betta he might get really stressed being surrounded by 3 mirros 24/7

silly question but............

do fish see there reflection as themselves or as other fish? am i correct in saying bettas like to be alone? so if they see a reflection and think its another fish, wont they try and attack it or get stressed?

 

[OldMan47]

Simple as can be. Treat the center part with the parallel sides as a rectangle, we all know how to calculate that. Next measure from an imaginary line that joins one front corner to the corresponding back corner to the point of the apex formed by the two end pieces. That part is a triangle and the area is 1/2 of the length from left to right multiplied by the length of the imaginary line from front corner to back corner. Once you have that product you multiply by the height just like the rectangular calculation does. If both ends have the same triangular shape and size, you an skip the 1/2 in the equation because you have two of them to account for.
What does it all boil down to? Measure from a front corner to the end of the triangular part at the other end, then just use the old length times width times height to get volume. Ignore the triangle on the other end, we have already taken it into account if you follow the discussion above.

 

[Just_Another_One]

just a thought...if you use it for your betta he might get really stressed being surrounded by 3 mirros 24/7

silly question but............

do fish see there reflection as themselves or as other fish? am i correct in saying bettas like to be alone? so if they see a reflection and think its another fish, wont they try and attack it or get stressed?

hahaha it all depends on the betta whether they will accept tank mates or not. Some will attack and not tolerate any tank mates and others will be fine in a community set up with lots of other fish

but of course you can never put 2 male bettas together for ovbious reasons. They fight. Same thing happens when they see their reflection in a mirror... its as if you had two in the same tank...they will flare up and try to attack the mirror thinking they are fighting another male. Then sometimes you find a very very laid back betta who does'nt even flare at a mirror or when placed in clear view of another flaring betta. I have one of those guys, i'd like to see wat happens if I put him in a tank with another boy. hmmmmm maybe I should try... lol jk as much as i would like to see what happens it would be irresponsible to try

Sorry this thread went a little off topic

 

[plecostomus-mad]

just a thought...if you use it for your betta he might get really stressed being surrounded by 3 mirros 24/7

silly question but............

do fish see there reflection as themselves or as other fish? am i correct in saying bettas like to be alone? so if they see a reflection and think its another fish, wont they try and attack it or get stressed?

Sorry this thread went a little off topic

that would be my fault.lol but i learnt something new

 

[Jenste]

lol it doesnt matter that it went off topic because its a good point! i thought of the mirrors being no different than people who use clear dividers to separate two real bettas???

 

[Amberleaf]

lol it doesnt matter that it went off topic because its a good point! i thought of the mirrors being no different than people who use clear dividers to separate two real bettas???

That is correct; I have a clear plastic divider to separate my two male Bettas, and although they *do* flare (sometimes), they mostly just take no notice of each others.... ^^; LOLS, but I'm thinking that my two boys get naughty when the lights go off, because I was experimenting with pictures, and leaning over my bed to turn the lights off, and suches; I look over and Mr. Wimpy Fish is flaring at Libra! XD

 

[plecostomus-mad]

did you find out what the volume of the tank was?

 

[jjkremp]

just a thought...if you use it for your betta he might get really stressed being surrounded by 3 mirros 24/7

silly question but............

do fish see there reflection as themselves or as other fish? am i correct in saying bettas like to be alone? so if they see a reflection and think its another fish, wont they try and attack it or get stressed?

not all fish see their reflection givin glass and plexi lexan and others governed by how thick they are reflect to a certan degree however vision such as far sighted near sighted wide view and narrow vision play a part on whether a fish can see you or just its reflections or just a void also how the light strikes and how much light outside the tank hit some fish like balas see not themselves but YOU while bettas see a mirror effect they arnt stupid and will pick up that another betta cant duplicate its actions like it in itself can however if your betta is a lil more on the *SPECIAL* side having more light outside the tank outside>inside light will lower its mirror effect