seriously? why wouldnt the manufacturers add just ONE more gallon? 29 just seems so random in my opinion.
random i know but i was bored and it was bugging me.
Its because when building a tank they are concerned with measurements not gallons.
Glass is sold in foot increments so they need to keep all cuts under 12 inches or under 6 inches so not to waste any glass. A 29 gal tank is 30 1/4 inches long. So they are left with a piece that is 17 3/4. Which is the size needed for the side of the tank which is 18 3/4 inches deep. add a half inch for the depth of the front and back pieces.
So 48 inch long pc Glass, minus 30.25 for front piece leaves 17.75 inches for inside piece.
One whole sheet of glass used with only one cut needed.
If they made it 1 gal larger they would need to use a second piece of glass, adding cutting, and labor costs, almost doubling the cost to make the tank.
I don't know the answer but I'm gonna make a good guess and say that the 29 gallon size is the end result of a design based on the footprint size. When buying an aquarium, I know that my livestock have a minimum gallon requirement but more important than how many gallons of water the tank hold , I want a tank that fits a space. My bowfront is a 36 gallon. Why not 35? The foot print is 30 "x 10" the gallon number seems a bit strange but the footprint is very basic.
It's a good question, considering most tanks aren't actually the gallonage they claim to be, but are more likely a gallon or two less. When such is true, why not just round the 29 up as well? Most likely it has something to do with sales . Sort of like how $ 9.99 can make someone want to buy it, because the typical customer will ignore the change and see $ 9, which is less than $ 10 - They think they're getting a good deal. Perhaps with tank owners, they want something that looks large but isn't very large. "Oh, this tank looks big, but isn't too much bigger than a 20 gallon." Or maybe it's for manipulating price. "Oh look, this 20 gallon is $ 30, but this 29 is only $ 50! Good deal! "
Most tanks will come in lengths in increments of feet, one two three or four feet usually, and almost never will be a tank in between one of those sizes. This is unless the tank is of larger capacity or custom crafted, 29 i believe falls in the two foot section, especially with bow tanks if the made the tank any bigger it could cause too much distortion. I dont know any of this to be true (except the part about the tanks coming in sizes of one foot increments but i though it was a good guess
i 100 percent agree with you ... i own a 29 gallon tank and i feel foolish saying it ... it is like i could not afford the extra gallon ... annoying: O) i usually lie and say it is 30 gallons: O)
maybe to prevent confusion fromm 13 gallon tanks, because 30 and 13 sound alike
because in litres that's exactly 110 litres:)
