Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => New Fishkeepers => Topic started by: ros77uk on March 15, 2013, 10:49:46 PM
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Hello
I am confused by the Community Creator. It asks for the length of my tank - but my tank is an Aquael 45, a sphere... :'(
Can anybody help? is there a standard size which ThinkFish want me to put in there?
Ros
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The length of a sphere is the same as the circumference, so measuring around the outside of the widest part of the bowl will give you the approximate equivalent length.
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Hi Ros,
Welcome to the forum.
What are you going to have in your sphere? I'm new to fishkeeping so I'm interested in what other people have got, (some might say nosey! :))
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The length of a sphere is the same as the circumference, so measuring around the outside of the widest part of the bowl will give you the approximate equivalent length.
Wouldn't the length be more accurately given by the diameter?
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I've always used the diameter for spherical tanks as that's the longest distance a fish can swim in a straight line. Yes, fish in a spherical tank can swim round and round following the glass (circumference) but this isn't the natural way of swimming.
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Well, I am only quoting what I learned in school, so many years ago admittedly.
Is the diameter enough? If using just a diameter to measure WxLxH you would get a cube, giving a larger volume. Granted we are not measuring a volume because we already know it is 45litres (assumed by the description of the tank).
However, why not try both methods in the Community Creator, one using diameter as length and another using the circumference as length, and see what the stocking levels come out as. If the circumference seems to be too generous, then use the diameter variant (which is going to be smaller).
Thoughts?
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The community creator uses the length of the tank do determine the longest fish that will go in it. I know there is a 'rule' that states a tank should be at least 5x longer than the biggest fish in there. To my mind, this means the diameter of a spherical tank should be entered.
The other thing about spherical tanks to be borne in mind is that they should have less fish than a rectangular tank of the same volume. They have a very small surface area to volume ratio compared to rectangular tanks. Gas exchange (oxygen in, carbon dioxide out) takes place at the surface and a smaller surface = less gas exchange even with the filter moving the water round, meaning the fewer fish the tank can support.
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Is the diameter enough? If using just a diameter to measure WxLxH you would get a cube, giving a larger volume. Granted we are not measuring a volume because we already know it is 45litres (assumed by the description of the tank).
OK, I know what's what now. For "length" of tank as in the CC, see Sue's post. It should be the diameter. For you Tigz, the volume of a sphere isn't WxLxH. It is (4xPIxR3)/3. PI is 3.1415926.... and R is the radius.
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I'm not well you know, and now you've made my head hurt... ???
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I'm not well you know, and now you've made my head hurt... ???
LOL. I think it's catching... I have a sore head now too. ;D
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I'm not well you know, and now you've made my head hurt... ???
LOL. I think it's catching... I have a sore head now too. ;D
If you have sore heads over that, then to calculate the volume of... well anything... use the ThinkFish volume calculator.
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That's what I have a husband for! He is mustard at maths and science-y stuff. I just tell him what I need to know....and he does it in his head! It's a real pain if I'm not talking to him though, I have to try and do it myself, I usually wait until I've forgiven him for whatever he's done :)
Still, it works both ways, he asks me how to spell things...what a team! :)
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Thanks, everyone. Now I just have to go and work out what the diameter of my tank is... ;)
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to work out the diameter of a circle. i use this in college. what i do is, put 2 pieces of striaght wood/timber across the circle and measure the distance each side between the two pieces of wood to make sure its the same distance gap
in the diagram, once the ?? are the same, thats your diameter.
(you dont have to use wood, just any 2pieces of something that are straight)
there may be an easier way to work out diameter but i use this and its accurate, hope this helps ;)
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You could always measure the circumference and use C = piD so the diameter is the circumference divided by 3.14.
Edit - it may be a long time ago now but I did get grade 1 in O level maths ;D
And for those who have no idea what the grading system was, 1 to 6 were pass grades, 7 and 8 were fail grades and then there was such a low mark it was classed as ungraded.