How do you figure the size of a 500 gallon tank?

Answer 1

If by "size," you mean the dimensions, then you'll need to provide more information. A 500 gallon tank can be tall and narrow or short and wide...or anything in between. If you can provide at least one dimension, then the formula for volume (area X height) can be applied to give you the other dimension.

The above only calculates the cubic units of the tank. Keep in mind that you then need to factor in how many cubic inches a gallon of water takes up. 1 Gallon of Water = 231 cubic inches.

Your final formula will be

Gallons in tank = L"xW"xH"/231

You can now play with your numbers for L, W, & H until you get a combination that meets your goal of 500 gallons.

For example, let's see if a tank that is 4'x6'x3' will work. It's easiest if you convert the feet into inches first.

This gives us:

48"x72"x36"= 124,416 cubic inches.

Now, divide this by the number of cubic inches in a gallon:

124,416/231 = 538.6 gallons.