Ronald owns a fish tank shaped like a rectangular box. The tank measures 18 inches in height, 14 inches in depth, and 30 inches in length. After returning from a one-month vacation, Ronald discovered that the sides and bottom of his tank were covered in algae. What is the area that was covered?

To calculate the area covered by algae, we need to find the area of the sides and bottom of the tank. Since the tank has six sides, and the algae covers the sides and bottom, we need to calculate the area of all but the top side which is not covered with algae.

The tank is a rectangular box, which has: - Two ends (height x depth) - Two sides (length x height) - One bottom (length x depth)

First, let's find the areas of each part: 1. The area of one end = height x depth = 18 inches x 14 inches = 252 square inches. Since there are two ends, we double this area: 2 x 252 square inches = 504 square inches.

2. The area of one side = length x height = 30 inches x 18 inches = 540 square inches. Again, since there are two sides, we double this area as well: 2 x 540 square inches = 1080 square inches.

3. The area of the bottom = length x depth = 30 inches x 14 inches = 420 square inches.

Now, add all these areas to find the total area covered by algae: Ends area + Sides area + Bottom area = 504 square inches + 1080 square inches + 420 square inches = 2004 square inches.

So, the area covered with algae is 2004 square inches.