Deciding factors on how much a fish tank will weigh include the fish tank material and the number of rocks or aquatic plants in your freshwater and saltwater tank.
Fish Tank Empty Weight
For example, a 55-gallon fish tank usually weighs between 600 and 700 pounds or 272 and 317 Kg. An empty 55-gallon fish tank weighs around 78 pounds or 35 Kg. However, the weight depends on the material you choose for your aquarium. Ensure that the floor support of your aquarium can bear the weight.
Weight of Acrylic Fish Tanks
An acrylic tank is typically made of a pliable plastic substance known as plexiglass. It’s opaque, multi-colored, and multi-functional. Acrylic is a durable and budget-friendly material for your aquarium project. The acrylic sheet measures 1.2 kg per square meter per millimeter of sheet thickness.
Aside from an aquarium, acrylic can also be used to produce bulletproof glasses, window panes, and store displays. Acrylic has better quality than its glass counterpart because it’s stronger and offers more resistance to impact.
An extra benefit is that it’s lightweight. With the same thickness, an acrylic fish tank is half the weight of a glass aquarium.
Weight of Glass Fish Tanks
Glass is produced with liquid sand or silica. Its production involves heating sand at extremely high temperatures with materials such as limestone, soda ash, and color additives.
In its liquid state, the sand can be molded into any form of glass, including an aquarium. A square meter of standard glass measures 5 kg with a thickness of 2 mm.
Regular glass isn’t as strong as tempered glass, but they weigh the same. Glass weight is hugely influenced by the size as well as the size.
Water Weight in a Fish Tank
American gallon measurement uses 8.34 pounds for one gallon, making the 55-gallon fish tanks weigh 458.7 pounds or 208.6 Kg respectively.
In America, there are standard measuring units known as standard gallon and liquid gallon.
However, the British measuring unit, the dry gallon, has been a measurement unit for a long time. It measures what your water weighs as an equivalent to measuring 8 pounds of wheat.
A single gallon of water weighs 9.71 pounds if we use the dry gallon as a measuring unit. Following this formula, how many pounds will a 55-gallon fish tank weigh? Your freshwater or saltwater tank will have a total weight of 534 pounds.
Using the imperial gallon measurement which is 10.02 pounds per gallon, meaning your 55-gallon fish tank will weigh 551 pounds.
Weight of Fish Tank Gravel
The weight of gravel is influenced by key factors such as the type of rock, its characteristics, moisture content, compactness, and the presence of inorganic materials in the gravel. A yard of gravel weighs about 1.5 short tonnes.
Dimensions of a Fish Tank
The L x W x H of your 55-gallon aquarium is 48 x 13 x 21 inches.
You can start by measuring the length of your gallon tank, which is from side to side. The height measurement of your gallon tank will start from top to bottom. The depth measurement of your gallon tank will be from front to back.
Consider the surface area and the distance between the hoses and fish tank. Inadequate spacing can result in broken glass and other hazards.
How Many Fish in Fish Tank
Your 55-gallon aquarium can easily contain several fish. And although certain fish species may require a bigger gallon aquarium, for the most part, the 55-gallon aquarium can contain a great selection of fish species.
To follow the one-inch-per-gallon rule, you should try to not exceed 55 inches of fish in a 55-gallon fish tank. This may be 4 bottom-dwelling fish with some algae eaters to help the water keep clean and to avoid water from turning green.
Most hobbyists want to improve their tank size shortly after starting with a certain size by getting a new aquarium or making some improvements. The reason can be the freshwater configuration. Some tanks don’t give enough room for plants and aquatic livestock to cohabit.
Furthermore, larger sizes are easier to keep than small aquariums tank sizes because they contain more water, and little fluctuations won’t have a significant effect. If a snail dies in a larger tank, there won’t be a significant increase in the water’s ammonia level.
This also applies to other water parameters such as salinity and temperature.
Benefits of a Large Fish Tank
Large Aquariums Tank Size
One thing is for sure; a 55-gallon fish tank, which is a large fish tank will be ideal for your freshwater fish because they will have more space to move.
Fewer Contaminants
Moreover, the water contained in the 55-gallon fish tank has fewer contaminants, which results in a healthier pH level. Having bigger tanks is recommended because they are easier to clean and maintain. However, no matter the fish tank size, regular water testing is required to keep your fish healthy.
More importantly, with a 55-gallon tank, you can have more fish in terms of number and species.
Healthier and More Attractive Tank
There’s also an improved variety of algae and plants, two key factors that contribute to a healthier tank and a more aesthetic appearance for you and your fish.
Easier Fish Feeding
A 55-gallon fish tank also makes it easier to feed your fish, when you scatter the feed in the tank. The smaller fish can easily get their share.
Fish species who don’t get along well with certain species can also separate themselves easily because of the large aquariums’ tank size.
Ideal for Fish Breeding
The 55-gallon fish tank has more area and this makes it perfect for breeding fish, plus fish eggs have more chance of survival in this fish tank than in smaller tanks.
