A 5 gallon bucket?

[JBKReef]

Alright just something I will reach out to everyone to get your opinion on. Where within our most handy of tools do you consider to be the "5 gallon line"?

All the way full seems incorrect, is it below the main rim? I have not measured but where I think the "5 gallon" mark is never seems to be accurate when I'm filling my ATO, doing a water change and trying to measure salt. Or my most recent frustration, doing a leak test on a 25 gallon tank that only took 4 and a quarter 5 gallon buckets to fill.

Confused and just wonder if anyone else has a rule of thumb they use. Happy reefing everyone!

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

I buy the cheap Home Depot "Homer" orange bucket and mark it in one gallon graduations. I take an empty plastic one gallon water jug, fill it with tap water, and dump it in the bucket. After the water settles, I mark the water level with a Sharpie. This is the one gallon line. Fill the jug up, add another gallon to the bucket, let it settle, and mark it. This is the two gallon line. I continue on in this fashion until I get to the top. I find that about a full inch below the rim tends to be 5 gallons. At least it does on the orange Homer buckets.

 

[burton14e7]

I do all of my maintenance in 4 gallon increments. I bought two 5 gallon jugs that are marked and I filled one up to 4 gallons and poured it into the 5 gallon bucket. Then I marked on the outside of a home depot bucket where the 4 gallon mark is so I can mix new salt water in it.

 

[Redleg]

^^ Because "5 gallon" buckets are sometimes only 4.5 gallons.

 

[ZoWhat]

If you are talking the old Instant Ocean buckets....and the like.... the very first external plastic ring below the "lip" should be the 5g mark.... its like ~2in below the lip