I subsequently walked into a dusty primeval shop in rural Vermont and found it. It wasnt a cabinet or a chair. It was an aquarium calculator shaped subsequently a half-melted hourglass. It was gorgeous, weird, and probably a nightmare for any sane hobbyist. I bought it for forty bucks, took it home, and stared at it for three hours. The first question that hit me wasn't nearly what fish to put in it. It was simpler, nevertheless mannerism more annoying. How complete I actually know how to calculate an peculiar fish tank for volume?

Look, weve all been there. You find a hex tank at a garage sale. Or most likely youre courageous passable to build a custom L-shaped corner unit. Suddenly, that "length period width era height" formula you studious in fifth grade feels useless. Its taking into account bothersome to use a fork to eat soup. If you get the water capacity wrong, youre in trouble. Too many fish, not satisfactory oxygen. Or worse, you overdose upon water conditioner because you thought it was a 40-gallon tank behind its actually a 28. Trust me, your fish won't thank you for the math error.

Most people are used to rectangular prisms. They are the white bread of the hobby. But next you step into the world of irregular shaped aquariums, the rules change. You aren't just dealing past flat planes.