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Writer's pictureJulie Turner

Which weighs more, the salt in a float tank, or a whale testicle?

Updated: Sep 9, 2022


A float tank has approx.. 150 gallons of water which has been saturated with 800 – 1000 pounds of Epsom salt. It’s so saturated that it’s not even properly called water anymore - we call it a solution. The dense solution supports your whole body allowing you to float effortlessly on the surface. The solution is pretty much as close to a solid it can be without actually being, a rock-hard block of salt.

But how much salt is that? Many float centres store their extra salt in their lobby to demonstrate just how much salt is in each tank (and because where else are you going to put it?). Each bag of Epsom salt weighs 50 lbs, or 22kg and it takes at about 18 bags (+) per tank.

It’s back breaking work - always #PracticeSaltSalt

(Thanks to Shuswap Float & Wellness for the photo)

To help wrap our minds around exactly how much salt that is, let’s look at some other things that weigh 800-1000 lbs, such as:

Grand Pianos, the big ones can weigh up to 1000 lbs! Meanwhile the smaller ones weigh as little as 300-400 lbs. Whew! Don’t call me on moving day!

The average horse weighs about 1000 lbs. Did you just picture a horse in a float tank? Because I sure did...

(Thanks to Float Brothers for the photo)

Jeff Pelletier from North Vancouver grew a monster pumpkin weighing in at 1,176 lbs at the 2017 Competition in Langley. The pumpkin’s name is Grawp. This was only the 13th pumpkin grown in BC to weigh over 1,000 lbs. Jeff is looking for someone in the Okanagan to mentor. What would you name your giant pumpkin?

Lastly, because it's remarkable and hilarious - ONE(1) testicle of a Right Whale can weigh up to a whooping 1,157 lbs, or 525 kg!. That’s right. A Right Whale is still smaller than a Blue Whale, but their testicles are the largest of any animal on earth.

Well, now don’t we all feel a little bit smarter?

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