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MACQUARIUM INSTRUCTIONS
VERSION 3.0: updated 10.21.2006
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FINDING
THE COMPUTER
I used good ol' ebay to find the right Mac Classic for me. Now I encourage that you take a couple weeks to find a good deal. There are a wide range of Mac Classics that people sell.
In this case, I was going after a Classic that probably wasn't functioning any more. If someone is selling a really old computer that is still functional, chances are that they are going to say it's functioning. If the computer is a boat anchor, then they will keep the details in the auction to a minimum.
I've seen people selling Mac Classics that have everything including keyboard, mouse, manuals, computer and even the original box. Those have gone for up to $200. No thanks. I just want the case.
Most Classics were going for $15 (in Jan. 2002). However, I found one dealer that was selling it for much less. When the auction was over I won a Mac Classic for a whopping $2.25!! Now remember, when doing your budget, you will need to account shipping costs. These boogers aren't cheap to mail. This one cost me $15 to ship; well over the cost of the auction. Oh well. $17.25 total isn't bad.
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TUCKED AWAY
Amongst poppy wrapping is the future of my macquarium. |
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HELLO, COMPUTER
Hey, there it is. If you're wondering, that's a painting of Barry Bonds in the back which is next to a replica I built of the red-blue chair design by Gerrit Rietveld. You can buy my original art at my ebay store. Check it out some time. |
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TAKE THE SCREWS OUT
Now, let's get dirty. You're gonna want to take out all the screws. They're all over the place. There are all located on the back however. The trickiest screws are the two at the top where the handle is. You're gonna need a loooooong screwdriver, because the shafts are very long. And no average Phillips either. You need a Torx screwdriver. I couldn't find any hardware stores that sold Torx screwdrives long enough to fit. So a custom Torx screwdriver is necessary...
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CUSTOM SCREWDRIVER
Other sites give you weird formulas for building your custom screwdriver. I like mine cuz it's simple.
There's three things you will need:
1. needle-nose plyers
2. BIC ball point pent
3. torx screwdriver bit
ALL THREE ITEMS CAN BE PURCHASED VIA THE LINKS AT THE TOP UNDER "RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES".
BIC pens are easy to take apart. Use plyers to pull out the pen head and pen cap. You could do this with your bare hands. We did it all the time in grade school to make spitball shooters.
Next, wedge in the torx bit at the top. You have to jam it in pretty good. It helps to take a pair of needle-nose plyers and inserted them in the pen case and stretch out the case a bit to get the torx bit to fit. You should have a nice snug fit.
Finally, insert half of the needle-nose plyers grabbers into the pen case end so you have something to grip. The needle nose plyers of choice for me is the extremely versatile Leatherman multipurpose tool. It's well worth the $80. It's a pocket knive with a whole bunch of goodies to boot. I carry it with me all the time. It's great. |
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NO PROBLEM
Unfortunately this photo is not showing the pen case with the torque bit being held by the needle nose plyers. But trust me, it worked like a dream getting those nasty embedded screws out. |
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OPEN SAYS A ME
Now
all the screws are out. You think it would be easy to take the case apart.
Ahhh. I had a little bit of trouble. The secret is to grip the case on
both sides, squeeze and pull up with equal force. Don't try loosening
one end then loosening the other end. Most of these old Macs haven't been
opened for years so they will be a bit tight, like the one I worked on.
It's really not a big deal getting this case off. It just might take a
little elbow grease. |
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LET THE SURGERY BEGIN
There it is. Pretty darn cool huh? This is the iMac's uncle: The original all-in-one digital hub. Well, enough admiring Apple engineering. You have a fish tank to build. The fish of the world are waiting! Carefully take things apart.
Now, I'm gonna get a bit "legal". If you have any problems or get hurt taking your computer apart, don't come crying and blaming me. You're on your own. Ok, sorry about that. It's really rather easy taking this thing apart. Just use your noggin'. Be especially careful with the monitor. Another macquarium site tells you how to discharge the monitor before you take it out. I was very scared by what they were telling me to do. I was able to take the monitor out without worrying about wearing rubber gloves, discharging myself and worry about exposed electrical junk that could fry my brain. I just disconnected the monitor and that was it. Though following others' instructions on discharging shouldn't hurt. It is 100% your responsibility on how you handle the monitor. Use common sense.
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PARTS
There's all the parts, well at least most of 'em. We're getting closer.
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TWEAKING THE CASE
We've
admired the guts of the Mac Classic, but now it's time to make some adjustments
to the case. |
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FRONT COVER
Now you will notice that there is a bunch of protrusion on the back side of the cover. It's a good idea to saw off the extra protrusions you don't need. Be sure to keep the top two protrusions. Those are the ones that make the cover connect to case. Everything else get rid of. You could keep the protrusions in place, but the aquarium will not sit flush with the cover because the protrusions on the cover will get in the way.
By, the way, I used a Dremel with a drill bit to saw off the protrusions. I'll be using the Dremel again later. In addition to the Leatherman, the Dremel is another utility-man's dream tool. I love it. A link to the Dremel is provided at the top under: "Recommended Supplies".
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EMPTY SOUL
What a sad sight. A Mac Classic with no soul. No need to worry, we are getting closer to this computer's second life as a macquarium.
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MORE PROTRUSION REMOVAL
We got rid of the protusion on the cover of the case. Now we shift our attention the case itself. You're gonna need to get rid of the handle at the top of the inside of the case. It's gonna interfere when you put the aquarium in the case. |
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REMOVING THE HANDLE
The photo to the left is of the outside of the case. I used two tools to cut into the case. The first tool was a Dremel with a drill bit. I drilled into the case and continued to cut a line. Next, I used a coping saw blade. See how the line has two different sized spaces? The saw blade cut a real nice thin cut. The dremel cut a wider cut. It also was much easier to cut a straight line with the coping saw.
After this learning experience, I recommend that you use the dremel to cut only a lead hole. Make the lead hole wide long enough for the coping saw blade to fit in. Then use the saw blade to cut the rest. It's a much cleaner and thinner cut. A link to the coping saw blade is provided at the top under: "Recommended Supplies".
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NO MORE HANDLE
Alright, it's out! I have to warn you. Cutting into this plastic causes alot of mess!!! It produces a ton of plastic dust that will stick to everything because of its static charge. I highly recommend you do this outside with a mask on the whole time. You don't want that plastic junk in your lungs. Yuck.
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ANOTHER ANGLE
This is just another shot of the removed handle. See all that dust I was talking about? Unfortunately, I did this inside my apartment, but I did have a mask on and I vaccumed right away. |
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TOSS IT
Ok, so we got the dirty work done. Let's toss all the stuff we don't need. I put the monitor in a garbage bag filled with packaging peanuts. I also put the garbage bag in the box that the computer shipped in. I guess I didn't have to take such measures in disposing the monitor, but I'm looking out for my local garbage men. It's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it. Sorry that was lame.
Hey, notice the fish books in the photo. I'm starting to think about what I want to do with my macquarium. It doesn't hurt to visit some fish stores at this point to see what's available to you. Then go to the library or go online and see what fish are suitable for your macquarium. Remember, this is going to be a small tank so you need to keep that in mind when you go fish shopping. |
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I SHOULD HAVE PLANNED MORE
I cut out the handle, but I didn't fully plan what was going to be in my macquarium. I decided to buy an aquarium top filter and a heater. So, I had to cut more out of the case.
Again, I recommend using a Dremel to make the initial cuts and a coping saw blade to cut the rest. What initial cuts need to be made? Well you'll need the Dremel to make the corner cuts. The saw blade can only cut a straight line. So drill holes in the corners to give the saw blade a starting point.
When you're done cutting, go over everything with a fine grade sandpaper. Sandpaper will reallly help make you cuts look much cleaner. Goldfish crackers anyone?
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PERFECT FIT
Now, the filter and the heater fit perfectly. I decided to go with an aquarium top filter ($15 at Petco) because it is so much quieter than the those kind that you put under the gravel and have a vertical air bubble thing in the tank. Those under gravel kind are so freaking loud! They may be quiet at first, but they get louder the longer you run it. And you need to run your fish filter 24/7. The under gravel kind is more pleasant to the eye, but I decided to go with the aquarium topper for its superior sound buffering and superior water filtering. It looks pretty gaudy from the angle of the photo, but you won't be looking at the back. You're gonna be looking at front enjoying your fish.
I also decided to have a heater ($13 at Petco) so I could have a larger selection of fish to choose from. Most fish are sensitive about the general temperature.
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THE AQUARIUM
I didn't forget about the aquarium. Actually that turned out to the most frustrating part of this project. I really didn't want to build my own case. Sure it would fit perfectly, but I don't trust myself with building a water-tight glass box. If you're up for the challenge, other macquarium sites gives you excellent details on how to build a glass aquarium from scratch.
Me? I went shopping. Before I went shopping I took measurements of what my glass box should be.
My measurements say the following:
width: 7.25"-9.25".
depth: 8" or less.
height: 11.5"-12.75".
These measurements allow the glass box to fit in the Mac Classic and without any gaps apparent. For example if the width is more than 9.25", then it won't fit. If it's less than 7.25" wide, then the edges of the glass will be visible. If the box is less than 11.5" tall, then the top of the glas box will be visible.
I found the PERFECT case at Mikasa. AND it was 50% off. So it cost me only $15. Awesome deal. It's amazing how perfectly it fits. Though it took a while for me to find. I avoided Mikasa all along because their stuff is pricey. It was the last store I went too. Lucky thing I went there.
2005/01/27
I had a request from a fellow mac aquarium enthusiast in London. He was wondering what was the exact make of the vase I used. To the left you can now see the bar code from the bottom of the vase.
Everything else I found wasn't even close. Here's where I went:
The Container Store,
Sears,
Marshall Field's (now Macys),
World Cost Plus Market,
Room and Board,
Linens N Things,
Bed Bath & Beyond,
Target,
WalMart,
Kmart,
T.J. Maxx.
Petco, Petsmart, and your local neighborhood pet store may even have the right size tank. Who knows. Stores change what they have in stock all the time. I would try to visit The Containter Store, Linens N Things, and World Cost Plus Market first. They had a wide selection. Of course go out on the web and search too. Someone out there can meet your aquarium needs. When doing a search on the net, look for "vase". After all it is a vase you're looking for. You're just gonna use it as an aquarium.
2005/01/27
Another idea for the tank: Ask your neighborhood pet store if they have any experience building fish aquariums. You may be able to commission them.
Now, just put all the parts together and you are ready to go! Good luck and have fun!
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IT'S ALL ABOUT THE FISH
This is the Golden Pristella Tetra.
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THOSE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FISH?
The gold blur is a Golden Cloud Minnow.
The dark blur is a White Cloud Minnow.
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MY AQUARIUM
Below is a photo of my macquarium.
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