Ok, in case you are still interested in the calculations I'll explain as best as I can. This is not 100% accurate but the margin of error is insignificant for what we as aquarists require from the information. I'll use the calculations I used to discover the volume of my tank as an example to illustrate as I go through the stages.
(1.) First thing you need to do is convert the measurements of the tank from Feet or Inches into Millimetres.
Measurement in Millimetres = Feet x 12 = Inches x 2.5 = Centimetres x 10 = Millimetres
In my case it was 2 x 1 x 1 so:
Height = 2 x 12 = 24 x 2.5 = 60cm x 10 = 600mm
Width = 1 x 12 = 12 x 2.5 = 30cm x 10 = 300mm
Length = 1 x 12 = 12 x 2.5 = 30cm x 10 = 300mm
(Note that this is an example of the small margin of error I mentioned as there are in fact 2.54 Centimetres in an Inch, however using 2.5 as a conversion provides easier numbers to work with.)
(2.) Second thing to do is to use this information to work out the volume of the tank in Cubic Millimetres.
Total volume in Cubic Milimetres = Height x Width x Length
Total volume in Cubic Milimetres = 600 x 300 x 300 = 54,000,000 mm3
(3.) Our third step is to use this measurement to calculate the volume in Litres.
Total volume in Litres = Cubic Millimetres / 1 million
Total volume in Litres = 54,000,000 / 1,000,000 = 54 Litres
(4.) The fourth step is where we start to get results as we can now work out the weight in Kilograms.
Total weight of the volume of water in Kilograms = Litres x 1
Total weight of the volume of water in Kilograms = 54 x 1 = 54 kg
Phew, I think we all deserve a break after that most taxing of stages so give yourself a pat on the back and go grab a drink.
(5.) Now in the fifth stage we can move closer to caluclating the volume in Gallons by converting our Kilograms to Pounds.
Total weight of the volume of water in Pounds = Kilograms x 2.25
Total weight of the volume of water in Pounds = 54 x 2.25 = 121.5 lbs
(6.) This allows us to work out the volume in Imperial Gallons in our sixth step.
Total volume of water in Imperial Gallons = Pounds / 10
Total volume of water in Imperial Gallons = 121.5 / 10 = 12.15 Imperial Gallons
(7.) In the seventh and final stage we can now use the volume in Imperial Gallons to calculate the volume in U.S. Gallons.
Total volume of water in U.S. Gallons = Imperial Gallons x 1.25
Total volume of water in U.S. Gallons = 12.15 x 1.25 = 15.1875 U.S. Gallons
Hope that helps some.
[N.B. For anyone that does not care to know the volume in Imperial Gallons then you can divide the weight of the water in pounds by 8 instead of 10 in Step (6.) to skip an unnecessary step and discover the volume in U.S. Gallons quicker.]
/www.onlineconversion.com/waterweight.htm
