When planning out an aquarium, one area that often goes overlooked is the weight. We don’t take into account all of the things that add weight to our aquariums, and as a result, we don’t end up getting the right stand, or the room wasn’t built to handle that much weight. Not providing your aquarium with a solid base could prove disastrous, so it’s important that you take time to figure out what the aquarium weight will be before you get your base. Here are the things you need to consider in order to determine the aquarium weight.

1. How Much Water The Tank Holds

The heaviest aspect of your tank is likely going to be the water. Just a gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs itself. As you add more and more gallons of water to your tank, this number quickly adds up. To figure out how much weight will come from water, you need to measure the inside of your tank. Let’s assume you are working with a rectangular-shaped aquarium. In this instance, you would then multiply the length by the width by the height Or just click here (you’ll need another formula if your tank isn’t rectangular). Don’t forget that you won’t fill the aquarium to the top, so only measure the height to where your water line will be. The result of that calculation will give you the volume of your tank in cubic inches. You can then take that number and multiply it by .004329 to give you the number of gallons your tank will hold.
The last part is to take the number of gallons and multiply that by the weight of water (8.34 lbs/gallon). After doing all of this, you’ll have the amount of weight that water is responsible for in your aquarium.

2. The Weight Of The Glass

Next, you need to figure out the weight of your glass. This is best done by talking to the aquarium company you’re working with, finding out what type of glass they are using, and learning more about the weight. They will be able to provide you with further information on the weight of the glass so you can factor it into your calculations.

3. Aquarium Sand

Of course, water isn’t going to be the only thing inside the aquarium. Often we fill aquariums with rocks or sand, and this adds its own weight. To calculate the weight of sand, you’ll again want to measure the inside of your tank, and how much space the sand will occupy. Once you have the volume in cubic inches (like you did for water), you can multiply this by 0.055 lbs to get your total weight.

4. Furniture Weight

Finally, you want to think about the weight of the furniture the aquarium will rest on as well. If the furniture and aquarium combined weight is too heavy, it could cause problems within your home or building. Some larger pieces of furniture are hard to weigh, but if possible, you should figure out the exact weight of anything that will be holding your aquarium before it is installed.

5. Don’t Double Dip

When measuring all of your weights, you want to remember not to double dip. For instance, when trying to figure out the weight of the water, it’s important to measure from the inside of the tank and not the outside. If you do the outside, you’re including the size of the glass in your measurements, and this will be counted again when it comes time to weigh the glass. The more precise you are with your measurements, the more accurate they will be.

Don’t Forget About The Weight

When setting up a new aquarium, it’s important to not overlook the weight. You don’t want to find on the day of installation that your furniture will not support the tank properly, or that the floors underneath are not strong enough. With some simple measurements, and by coordinating with your custom aquarium supplier, you can come up with a suitable aquarium that you are sure to love.