Mac-Aquarium
Aquarium created from a dead Macintosh SE.
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I apoplogize for the mess in the photos. There weren't a lot of places for the aquarium so
I sort of stuffed it on a shelf where a number of other things were already crowded. I had dropped the water level a bit before this photo - it looks better when topped off. Perhaps the only thing really notable in this photo (aside from the general form of the aquarium) is the black and white gravel. To begin the aquarium, I first removed everything from inside an old broken Macintosh SE. The tube was perhaps functional and I hung on to the digital board. But the analog board was toast. Following directions I found online, I cut a good deal of plastic from the top of the case. Specifically, the whole area behind the "handle". I used a dremel tool with a cutting saw to get the bulk of it - a hacksaw blade helped finish the job. All in all it was a messy business but the result wasn't too bad. Fairly clean cuts. The fun came when I could begin to build the "tank". Instead of using glass as per the instructions I found on the Web, I opted for acrylic (Plexiglas). I got some black acrylic and a small amount of clear. (I think it was 1/8" thick.) I also got a small tube of acrylic cement. I made a template out of cardboard - measuring and cutting the cardboard - then placing it within the SE to see if it was going to fit. My design was to keep roughly 2/3 of the top of the SE for the tank itself and leave the space below empty. I could then put the pump and other items below. To that end, I made the sides of the "tank" tall enough to double as a stand. The whole of the tank was done in black but for the front and top (clear). The top was left clear to allow for some sort of light to be installed above and illuminate the fish. |
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I had never cemented acrylic together before and I admit it was a bit messy. If you've ever
put together a plastic model, the process if the same. I only wish I had purchased a small
nozzle for the cement tube - I might have been able to apply the cement in a narrower and
cleaner bead. To assure it was water-tight, I added another bead of glue after the first bead had set up. I waited until the next day to actually test the tank. I filled it with water and let it set for several hours. It did not leak. I wedged the tank into the back portion of the SE case, dropped the pump below and ran the hoses for the filter/aerator and bubble curtain. I put in black and white gravel (trying to keep it monochrome). I filled it with water, added a couple of fish, plugged the thing in and it worked. All that was needed to finish it off was a light. The light came by way of a cheap Radio Shack flourescent flashlight. The one I has a flourescent bulb that is roughly 6 inches long. When I took the thing apart I found a simple driver board (to supply the high voltage to the tube) and a switch. I pulled everything apart and was able to re-construct it inside the small space between the top of the tank and the SE case. In the last photo you can see the driver board stuck to the inside top left of the SE case. You can see too the flourescent bulb (mounted on gray PVC plastic) on its side across the top of the tank (a red wire held on with green tape runs the length of it). Power to the driver board is provided by an old Apple Newton power-supply/wall-wart. It was a tight fit, but all in all it was a success (I wish the bulb were brighter - but considering the space contraints...). |