Habitat - Indoor :: YES! I FOUND A BIG TANK--IN TRASH!

[kikicool]

That's right. I said it! I was driving my boyfriend to the train station this AM and he said "uh-oh..." and pointed. There, next to someone's trash, was a LARGE tank. It's obviously been in a garage for a while, and I will need to make sure that it has no leaks (note to self: do this OUTSIDE house). But it looks REALLY good. It's very thick glass. Now here's my question....

It measures 4 ft (48 inches) long, by 1 ft wide, by 21 inches high. Anyone have a tank this size? If so, how many gallons is it? I will surely need to know these things before I buy STUFF for it!

Also... right now I have a 20 gal tank (for a little turt). I have a 20 in long UV light. I have a fluval 3 filter, and a Aqua clear 10 heater. Will I be able to use any of these in a tank as large as this? Or must I upgrade everything? Thanks!! As always, all advice appreciated!!

[industrial_girl_2000]

Great find! It sounds like it is around 75 gallons, but a pet store can definitely verify the exact size.

You may be fine with what you have filter-wise especially since you only have a little turt.

To give you an idea of what you need for a bigger tank, I can tell you that I have a 90gal tank (filled 2/3 of the way) with a fluval 4 filter and it cleans the water just fine. I also have an Aqua Clear heater that (I think) is a 200W heater and it keeps the water at a comfy 76 degrees.

[kikicool]

Well that's reassuring!! Thanks so much. I was worried that all the stuff I just bought (like two months ago) would have to be replaced already--and with super expensive equipment. I feel better! My turt is 4 inches across. He reallly doesn't make much of a mess though.

[JohnG]

A tank with those measurements would be just over 52 gallons. (48x21x12)/231 Great find!

[kikicool]

Thanks! I'm quite pleased as well!

[Jessica313]

somewhere on here, a while ago.. someone posted a link to a website where you could type in the dimentions of any tank and it would tell you how many gallons...

anyone know that site?

.. i dont think i still have it bookmarked

[missibsu]

The site was down the last time I was there, but the formula is the one mentioned above. Take the dimensions in inches, length, width, height, and multiply them together. Then divide your answer by 231.

[kikicool]

How bizarre... math has never been my strong suite. Thanks, guys! I guess I'll need another heater for the other end then.

[cam722]

http://www.sciencemadesimple.net/volume.php

That's the website I used to use .. but when I tried using it this morning... my anti-virus/spyware brought a window up saying that it was a dangerous site and to immediately close it because it contained spyware. If that's the site you used, you may want to try this one..

http://www.fishlore.com/ConversionCalculator.htm

[kikicool]

cooool! One more question: do I need a UV light that covers the whole length of the tank? Right now my UV lamp is about 20 inches, and the tank is 48....

[missibsu]

As long as the UVB is over the basking area, that is all you need. You can put a cheaper bulb over the other half. My hood covers the whole tank, but I put the UVB on the half with the basking dock and a regular aquarium bulb over the other half.

[kikicool]

s'nice!!! Thanks again. So excited!!

[N4784N R4613]

Just FYI, the sticky at the top of online links and deals still works.