# How Many Gallons/Litres does your bowl/vase hold?! (Helpful link for you!)



## Krys

I know my brain gets racked with trying to figure out the volume of vases and bowls I see in the store, that don't list how many gallons or litres it can hold. I often get a little frustrated because i can't do math in my head too easily.

BUT FEAR NOT THOSE WHO ARE LIKE ME (and are bargain shoppers of the art stores for cheaper alternatives to fish tanks and bowls.)

I have found a link that has helped me translate those ugly "Product dimensions" into fish language! (gallons and litres)

http://mathcentral.uregina.ca/volume_calculator

I'm sure I'm not the only one to go looking for a volume calculator to check how much that beautiful vase on amazon holds. So here's the link that I use, and it's pretty accurate, and with a few small mental estimations you can finally figure out if that decorative glass bowl is big enough to hold your precious betta! (and we all want that!)




So here, let me give you the small and easy walkthrough. 

Let's try it with that vase that I posted earlier.








sleek, modern, classy. All great for our finned friends. But back to issue at hand. How much water does it hold? Now amazon says it holds about 3 gallons empty. Well that "about" made me wonder. How close is it to 3 gallons? So let's find out!


Here's the first page of the calculator. Easy, just pick the shape of your bowl or vase! (I understand there are some more awkward shapes than the two used here, but these are the two most common shapes. Octagons or the like should be treated as cylinders.)









The vase we're using is a cylinder, so let's click on one of the cylinders. (all the same)










Now we've come to this page. Simple enough Enter the measurements of the vase. (9in x 10in) (MAKE SURE TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT OPTION FOR RADIUS, DIAMETER, OR CIRCUMFERENCE! Most vases and bowls are measured in diameters.)

Click calculate.









Ta-da! Now you know the real volume size of your vase! Amazon said about 3 gallons. This calculator actually says 2.75 gallons! That's a big difference to a fish! And the actuality of the volume will decrease with our bit of estimation, because we don't fill our tanks to the brim with water! To get a more accurate idea of how much water will be used, we have to now use the calculator to figure out how much water we'll be taking away. As a rule of thumb (for me anyway) I always leave at least 1.5 inches left when I fill a bowl if it wont have a cover. (some bettas will try to jump out! make sure to get some sort of cover just to be safe! And make sure it allows air to flow through! something like a mesh works wonderfully!)

So if we go through the process again, only this time using the measurements 9in x 1.5in (only the height changes), we get the result of: 
= 0.4131 U.S. gallons
= 1.5637 liters

Nearly HALF A GALLON was taken off. So now for the final verdict:

_ 2.754 _U.S. gallons
- _.4131 U.S gallons
__________________
2.3409 U.S. gallons

2.34 gallons is a HUGE difference than to the 3 gallons we started off with, yes? Yes. This is about the absolute MINIMUM size of bowl/tank/vase you should get for a betta! Please, PLEASE do the math before you buy! Your betta buddy will be glad you did! 


Note: 
I know, unless you have a cool phone or tablet, you wont be able to use this in the store. I know I can't. So it may be helpful to mess around with measurements, and find a couple that work out to the size you want, then write them down and keep them in your pocket as a set guideline to help you make the right decision!


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