The supplied calculator catalogue supports scalar arithmetic but does not register mass, volume, density, area or mass-per-area units. Engineering must register compatible units for kg, m³, kg/m³, m² and kg/m² before this calculator can estimate total mass and average footprint load. Using dimensionless inputs labelled as kilograms would bypass the declared unit model and is not proposed. The numeric block below records footprint measurements only; it does not calculate aquarium weight. Keep this proposal as an inactive draft pending implementation and functional QA.
Measure actual water added in litres, including water in connected equipment supported by the same footprint. This avoids counting the space occupied by substrate and decorations as water. Convert litres to cubic metres by dividing by 1,000. Supply water density for the intended conditions; 1,000 kg/m³ is an illustrative freshwater approximation, not an exact value for every temperature or salinity.
Weigh the empty tank, dry substrate, decorations and equipment separately in kilograms. Manufacturer dry-mass specifications may be used when weighing is impractical. Count each component once. Include the lid and lights in equipment if they are not already included in the tank mass. Include additional retained water in the water measurement rather than also counting it in wet component masses.
For the optional supported-system total, add stand mass and other items carried by that stand. Measure the rectangular footprint used for the reported average. State whether this is the tank footprint or the stand’s overall footprint; the latter does not equal the actual contact area of separate feet.
| Input | Unit | Allowed range | Increment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actual water volume | m³ | 0–100 | 0.001 |
| Water density | kg/m³ | 950–1100 | 0.1 |
| Dry tank mass | kg | 0–10000 | 0.01 |
| Dry substrate mass | kg | 0–10000 | 0.01 |
| Decoration mass | kg | 0–10000 | 0.01 |
| Equipment mass | kg | 0–10000 | 0.01 |
| Stand and other supported mass | kg | 0–10000 | 0.01 |
| Footprint length and width | m | 0.01–10 each | 0.01 |
The water-mass equation rearranges the definition of density, ρ = m/V. Pressure is force divided by area; the proposed kg/m² result instead reports mass divided by area. These definitions are explained in OpenStax: Fluids, Density, and Pressure. The component sum and rectangular footprint calculation are direct arithmetic derivations for this tool.
| Quantity | Example 1 | Example 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Actual water volume | 160 L = 0.160 m³ | 300 L = 0.300 m³ |
| Assumed water density | 1000 kg/m³ | 1025 kg/m³ |
| Water mass | 160 kg | 307.5 kg |
| Dry tank mass | 30 kg | 55 kg |
| Dry substrate mass | 20 kg | 35 kg |
| Decoration mass | 10 kg | 25 kg |
| Equipment mass | 5 kg | 7.5 kg |
| Aquarium mass | 225 kg | 430 kg |
| Stand and other supported mass | 25 kg | 40 kg |
| Supported-system mass | 250 kg | 470 kg |
| Chosen footprint | 1.00 m × 0.40 m | 1.20 m × 0.50 m |
| Footprint area | 0.40 m² | 0.60 m² |
| Average aquarium mass loading | 562.50 kg/m² | 716.67 kg/m² |
| Average supported-system mass loading | 625.00 kg/m² | 783.33 kg/m² |
Examples use assumed measurements and densities, not specifications for particular aquariums. Input bounds define the intended calculation range, not safe installation limits. Zero component mass means that component is absent; unknown measurements must not be treated as zero. Unavailable results must remain unavailable.
An average footprint load does not describe concentrated loads at feet, rails or tank edges. This tool does not assess structural condition, load distribution, floor framing, stand strength or installation suitability, and cannot certify floor or stand capacity.
No registered thumbnail asset was supplied. Create and register a 400 × 400 WebP thumbnail before activation, then reference its assigned asset ID in the first image block. Use a cheerful yellow five-point star mascot with hands, floating without separate legs or feet, beside an aquarium and weighing-scale motif. Use a white background with playful navy, blue and teal educational graphics, matching neighboring thumbnails. No asset ID or image path is invented in this proposal.