The title photography of the beautiful Color Classic with a keyboard was taken by Rick English
Synopsis
"To have faith is to be sure of the things we have, to be certain of the things we cannot see"
The original and very first Color Classic Macquarium was conceived in 1998 and constructed in 2000 on a machine manufactured in 1993. It was a painful start due to the nature of my illness (CCFS - Color Classic Fixation Syndrome), which tortured me because of the contradiction between love and lust, the agony of dissemination and recontruction, the death of a phase and a rebirth of another. In this very process, true salvation revealed itself and I had a gradual recovery from this illness, came back to this realm and now hold my feets on the ground once again to tell you the story.
The Construction
After removing all the guts from the dead CC and meticulously measured the internal compartment, tank size/volume was determined. Discussion with a local fish store helped to determine the right glass thickness (1/4 inch). Note that the front of the tank is higher to cover the CC front panel. Since the CC is tilted as supposed to the vertical classics (Liza), it is important to note that the water level is not parallel to the tank itself.
Front glass measures 7.5 inches (H) x 8.5 inches (W). Side glasses measures 6 inches (H) x 8 inches (D). Back glass measures 6 inches (H) x 8.5 inches (W). You can add foam board to the bottom of the tank to ensure the exact fit of the tank to the CC.
Depth of the tank (front to end) is 8 inches leaving some room behind (inside the chassis) so that pump and potential accessories such as power cord can be accomodated
Some of the pikes from the front cover must be removed so that it can be snapped back to the chassis after the tank is installed
The base that allows the monitor tube to sit on top can actually be slided in and out of the chassis. So instead of the monitor tube now sits the tank. Add lubricant to the bottom of the base so that it slides in and out easily during water change. I'm also thinking of adding wheels to make sliding easier.
Getting a small size pump is important if you want it to sit inside of the CC. I decided to situate the pump outside because pump pressure can be adjusted more easily. A small one of these pumps costed around HK$300 a year ago (2000), they were made in Japan but now I think it costs less than HKD$100. If you want the air bubble to be finer, use a wooden air stone instead. Purchase a bottle of Methylene Blue in case the fish gets sick, its light blue color also helps to make the tank look futuristic while at the same time kills bacteria.
The pump is so quiet the only sound I can hear is from the bubbles, the setup lightens up a quiet room because you hear water flowing and bubble bursting
You can buy very bright LED these days easily (less than HK$1) and give the power light back to life. I didn't do it because the power light in the front panel means wire attachment on it and makes water change even more difficult. I will however think of adding one as soon as I get wheels on the base of the tank.
Faust has a lot of room swimming. Don't worry, this species can live in very tough environment for weeks without food. My Macquarium is however fully furnished
Even though Betta fishes can breath using his false lung (modified gills), air bubbles do make the tank look alive and full of happenings, for Faust.
Sands at the bottom is difficult to clean but crucial to plantations and I believe it makes the tank clearer than without them
Well sometimes when Betta gets frightened (they do), they shrink their fins and like to find a place to hide. The stone I crafted has a hole inside and the plants also provide shelter.
Enemy is coming and he goes up to breath and get ready for a battle. So keep the tank cleaned once a week to make sure no "oil" builds up on the surface.
Enemy number one. He is like exercise machines in gyms. Bring this machine close to your Betta to get him worked up.
If you can get some lighting inside the tank (which I didn't for version 1), it would look great
Add shrimps (about 5) to keep the tank clean, they eat leftovers and proves to be successful. You don't have to feed them either. In version 2 I added a Red Apple snail
The pump is so quiet the only sound I can hear is from the bubbles, the setup lightens up a quiet room because you hear water flowing and bubble bursting
You can buy very bright LED these days easily (less than HK$1) and give the power light back to life. I didn't do it because the power light in the front panel means wire attachment on it and makes water change even more difficult. I will however think of adding one as soon as I get wheels on the base of the tank.
Faust has a lot of room swimming. Don't worry, this species can live in very tough environment for weeks without food. My Macquarium is however fully furnished
Even though Betta fishes can breath using his false lung (modified gills), air bubbles do make the tank look alive and full of happenings, for Faust.
Sands at the bottom is difficult to clean but crucial to plantations and I believe it makes the tank clearer than without them
Well sometimes when Betta gets frightened (they do), they shrink their fins and like to find a place to hide. The stone I crafted has a hole inside and the plants also provide shelter.
Enemy is coming and he goes up to breath and get ready for a battle. So keep the tank cleaned once a week to make sure no "oil" builds up on the surface.
Enemy number one. He is like exercise machines in gyms. Bring this machine close to your Betta to get him worked up.
If you can get some lighting inside the tank (which I didn't for version 1), it would look great
Add shrimps (about 5) to keep the tank clean, they eat leftovers and proves to be successful. You don't have to feed them either. In version 2 I added a Red Apple snail