Finding out how much your aquarium is going to weigh after filling it with water is a very important part of owning and operating a fish tank. Some things to consider if you are shopping for a new aquarium or if you are wanting to move an aquarium somewhere new in your home.
- The structure you place a fish tank on filled with water must be strong enough to hold the weight and must also not be prone to moving or leaning as this can be disastrous. Once a filled aquarium starts to move side to side or forward to back there is a lot of weight moving in the form of water. Water does not just stop when the structure stops. Ensure there are no cracks or issues with nuts and bolts in the tank stand. You should also consider whether you need to place anything under the stand or not to protect flooring. If you do place something underneath just make sure it is something that will also stand up to the very heavy weight about to be placed on it.
- The weight of the tank does not take into account the extra weight added on when the canopy is put in place. Canopies are not very heavy however all weight should be included when doing your calculations. This also applies to filters hanging on the outside of the tank. Add that weight in as well.
- Is the aquarium glass or acrylic is something else to consider. Glass is cheaper than acrylic but is quite a bit heavier. If you consider the more expensive tank which would be acrylic you are then purchasing a stronger aquarium less likely to crack and break compared to glass.
- Lastly if you are using freshwater or saltwater will make a slight difference. The density of saltwater causes it to be slightly heavier than freshwater but not by much.
I have listed various sizes of aquariums below each with acrylic, glass and water weight identified. The weights for the aquariums are approximations as different manufacturers could have different thicknesses or other differences in the aquariums attributes that make the weight different.
Unfortunately the weights of acrylic aquariums are nowhere near being standard as acrylic tanks come in so many different shapes forms and sizes than their glass counterpart that it makes it quite difficult to accurately pinpoint their weights. The one thing you should remember though is that acrylic is typically half the weight of glass so you can use that information to gather calculations as well, unless of course you just want to look at the packaging of the tank you purchased which will have the weight listed somewhere.
The weight of the water should be the same per gallon regardless of whether you go with glass or acrylic as water is water. Freshwater @ 8.3 lbs per gallon and Saltwater @ 8.5lbs per gallon.
How Much Does a 10 Gallon Fish Tank Weigh Full of Water?
- Acrylic Aquarium
- 10lbs
- Glass Aquarium
- 11lbs
- Weight of Water
- Freshwater = 83lbs
- Saltwater = 85lbs
How Much Does a 20 Gallon Fish Tank Weigh With Water?
- Acrylic Aquarium
- 5lbs
- Glass Aquarium
- 25lbs
- Weight of Water
- Freshwater = 166lbs
- Saltwater = 170lbs
How Much Does a 30 Gallon Fish Tank Full of Water Weigh?
- Acrylic Aquarium
- 29lbs
- Glass Aquarium
- 48lbs
- Weight of Water
- Freshwater = 249lbs
- Saltwater = 255lbs
How Much Does a 55 Gallon Fish Tank Weigh Full of Water?
- Acrylic Aquarium
- 45lbs
- Glass Aquarium
- 78lbs
- Weight of Water
- Freshwater = 456.5
- Saltwater = 467.5
How Much Does a 75 Gallon Fish Tank Full of Water Weigh?
- Acrylic Aquarium
- 65lbs
- Glass Aquarium
- 140lbs
- Weight of Water
- Freshwater = 622lbs
- Saltwater = 637.5lbs
Just remember when using these calculations that the water weight does not include the aquarium or the canopy or the hanging filter weight if applicable for your set up. These weights are all separate of themselves and estimations for the acrylic and glass. The water should be just about bang on.
Please note how heavy the tanks filled with water get once you get over that 30 gallon size. It is a very heavy weight that should not be taken lightly so when planning where to place the tank you make sure the base can do the job.
If you are looking for an aquarium to purchase I have a really great review of the 50 gallon acrylic SeaClear with pros and cons listed. This particular tank comes with a canopy and light fixture. It’s a beautiful tank when set up so I highly recommend it if it is the right size and fits in your budget.
You can find my review in the following link. Acrylic Aquarium Review. If you want to go right to Amazon to check it out I will leave you a link for that as well right here. SeaClear Acrylic Aquarium.
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