iMacAquarium & G4 CubeAquarium
I must admit, unlike some of my other mods, these ideas were not my own. They have been done before so I am basing my mod off the same idea, but adding my own twist on it so to speak. Basically much of it will be the same, expect a few small changes to suit my own tastes and to improve on the original idea/design. There are many variations of the MacAquarium idea, using every type of Apple computer ever made. Click this link for a large collection on display. Now for a little history on what is a MacAquarium, how the idea was born and how to build one...
How the MacAquarium Idea was Born
Back in late 1999, the tech industry was falling apart. Huge companies were going under and dotcom billionaires were cashing in and getting out. With that, it left alot of tech guys unemployed and for the first time in most of their lives, they had extra free time on their hands. So what do creative geeks do with time to kill and tons of old computers laying around? They let the mind flow and get busy coming up with new inventions to make their world go round. One of their more fun and frivolous inventions was the first ever MacAquarium. It would involve taking an old Mac computer, gutting it and rebuilding it in a way that made it into a useable fish aquarium. It wasn't going to get them a Noble peace prize or make them their next billion. No, instead it would get them some publicity - applause from Apple, attention online and a couple TV and magazine interviews. Of course it landed them a book chapter, devoted to the MacAquarium, in the coveted Mac addict's bible "The Cult Of Mac".
Lastly, it would spawn www.imacaquarium.com (currently down) where the everyday Joe could buy a complete MacAquarium kit (shell, pump, gravel, ect) to build his very own computer fish tank at home, if he lacked the skill and knowledge of doing it from scratch. The kits would sell for $300 which is MUCH more than you will spend to build one from scratch. Even though it was a little pricey for what you got, it still sold extremely well. Many CEOs found it to be a great conversation novelty piece and a bit of tech nostalgia to display in their big, plush corporate offices. Celebs like Jay Leno even have an iMacAquarium. For me, I wanted to modify it a little from the original and I wanted to learn/build it on my own. So I decided against buying the kit. I've always enjoyed fish tanks (calming) and I've been meaning to get one - haven't had one since college. What better time than now and in this form. It fits the great modern/tech theme in my home office. That now leads me to introducing my current 2 projects - the iMacAquarium and the G4 CubeAquarium.
How the MacAquarium is Built
A computer aquarium can be built out of any old computer. It doesn't have to be an iMac or even a Mac at all. You can use your old Dell if you want. All you need is an old computer that you are willing to strip down and turn into a fish's loving water park home. Of course you have to seal the case so it doesn't leak and other steps need to be taken before you can dump Nemo inside and expect him to survive. There is a fairly long list of instructions you need to follow before you begin. So below are two web resources for those of you that want to complete a similar project as mine. I'm only including the steps for turning a first generation iMac and a G4 Cube into fish tanks. For other cases, you will either have to find that info elsewhere or figure it out as you go. Good luck and I hope PC modding is now something everyone reading this understands a little more about and may even be inspired to start their own DIY project. It can be fun and the end reward is getting to have a one of a kind creation completed solely by your own two hands. Perhaps I'll upload photos of both of my projects once they are finished.
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