My Homemade Aquariums

H

heySkippy

Legendary Member
Joined
30 January 2005
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4,089
Location
Sarasota, FL
Over the last 10 years I've become pretty good at fabricating acrylic tanks that fit into old computers, monitors and the odd bit of furniture. Since I got my NSX it seems y'all are stuck with me for a while so I'll inflict pictures of this particular hobby on all y'all, complete with the occasional cute kitty.

Most of my efforts over the years have revolved around perfecting the tank design for the old original Macintosh computer. It's a 4 gallon tank incorporating lights, filters, and easy access for maintenance duties.

DCP03416c.jpg
DCP05344c.jpg


All the bits taken out look like this.
DCP01457c.jpg
DCP01456c.jpg


This one is a 13 gallon tank built into an old 19" B&W monitor.
P5091616c.jpg
P5091618c.jpg


As you can see, this one sticks way up outside the original bounds of the monitor in the back. I did this because I wanted the monitor to be tilted back on it's tilt/swivel stand so that one didn't have to bend down so far to see into it. Worked pretty well!

P5091619c.jpg


The only other thing I have to show today is this one. It's a 14 gallon hexagonal tank built to fit an oak end table I found at a flea market several years ago.

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Anyone that wants to see pictures of my earlier works is welcome to browse my old aquarium site, sadly not updated in years but still with lots of examples.

There are a bunch of pictures of my hex tank during the construction process if anyone is interested in how I work the acrylic.

Anyway, enjoy. Needless to say, I have some experience in forming and bonding acrylic using common tools so if anyone ever has questions about that I might be able to help.

P2211395c.jpg
 
bodypainter said:
Most of my efforts over the years have revolved around perfecting the tank design for the old original Macintosh computer. It's a 4 gallon tank incorporating lights, filters, and easy access for maintenance duties.
Click to expand...

Hi

So you upgraded the old Mac screen from B&W to color :biggrin:

How do you see the future for your "business" when you only can get a hold of flatscreens? That must be the next big challange? :)

Really like that Mac of yours.

Regards
 
bodypainter said:
I'll switch over to making ant farms. :biggrin:
Click to expand...

hahahaha, i like your instincts (and your work, of course)

re aquariums in old computers, we've got a first release mac (my wife was part of the original mac release group at apple) and we've given some thought to doing that, as well. (saw a photo of someone having done that years ago).

thanks for sharing - very cool.

btw, that b&w cat perched on one of them... maine coon or part maine?

best,hal
 
queenlives said:
btw, that b&w cat perched on one of them... maine coon or part maine?
Click to expand...
Part Maine Coon at least. He gets shaved 3 or 4 times a year so his coat is much shorter in that pic than it would be naturally.

I should mention that I was not the first person to build a Macquarium. I was the first however to do more than build a simple glass box and put it in the computer case on a 2x4 base. I've gone through several iterations of the acrylic design over the years to maximize the water volume and provide the best angle for lighting. I do believe I built the most and that mine are the best.
 
bodypainter said:
Part Maine Coon at least. He gets shaved 3 or 4 times a year so his coat is much shorter in that pic than it would be naturally.
Click to expand...

so, as the owner of two maine's (www.twobigcats.com), i've *gotta* ask, why does one shave their cat?
 
queenlives said:
so, as the owner of two maine's (www.twobigcats.com), i've *gotta* ask, why does one shave their cat?
Click to expand...

Hi

I am not sure, but I guess that is not the weirdest animal I have heard people have pleasure shaving :biggrin:

Regards
 
queenlives said:
why does one shave their cat?
Click to expand...
The first time it was because he was hacking up hairballs and sheding all over the place. We were brushing him every other day and couldn't keep up. I swear I could have made another cat from the hair I brushed off.

Weird as it sounds, Rocky very obviously prefers to have his fur short. After we got him shaved the first time he was so much friendlier it was like having a different cat. I can't explain it but it's undeniably true - the cat likes it that way so we keep it short. That pictures was probably taken right before taking him in for another cut.

Here he is right before the first haircut.

http://techquarium.com/gallery2/main.php/download/1000-2/DCP04887.jpg

And here he is right after that haircut.

http://techquarium.com/gallery2/main.php/download/1006-2/DCP04903.jpg
 
martin said:
Hi

I am not sure, but I guess that is not the weirdest animal I have heard people have pleasure shaving :biggrin:

Regards
Click to expand...

martin,

is this how you're spending your National Holiday, reading prime and sending subtle messages???

get out there and enjoy the day!

hal
(whose co-workers in norway are off today, so has a bit of extra time on his hands, too... it's raining here or i'd be out there in my ride :)
 
I guess I'd be remiss if I didn't note the old original IBM PC mod I did a long time ago.

catbox1.jpg
catbox2.jpg


I retired that one when the cat in the picture (Sylvester) died on Halloween 2000 at age 19. RIP Sly.
 
queenlives said:
martin,

is this how you're spending your National Holiday, reading prime and sending subtle messages???

get out there and enjoy the day!

hal
(whose co-workers in norway are off today, so has a bit of extra time on his hands, too... it's raining here or i'd be out there in my ride :)
Click to expand...

Busted :)

I guess I have been all over prime today.. maybe go for a ride..it's dry outside now

Regards
 
bodypainter said:
The first time it was because he was hacking up hairballs and sheding all over the place. We were brushing him every other day and couldn't keep up. I swear I could have made another cat from the hair I brushed off.

Weird as it sounds, Rocky very obviously prefers to have his fur short. After we got him shaved the first time he was so much friendlier it was like having a different cat. I can't explain it but it's undeniably true - the cat likes it that way so we keep it short. That pictures was probably taken right before taking him in for another cut.

Here he is right before the first haircut.

http://techquarium.com/gallery2/main.php/download/1000-2/DCP04887.jpg

And here he is right after that haircut.

http://techquarium.com/gallery2/main.php/download/1006-2/DCP04903.jpg
Click to expand...

interesting.

beautiful cat with the normal fur... the post-shave look would either grow on you or not (pardon the unintentional pun).

nothin' like a good-natured, big maine. our females are ~20 lbs, 3+ feet long, incredibly warm personalities (and we're not "cat people").

didn't mean to hijack the thread, thanks for sharing all pics - aquariums are great.

best.
 
bodypainter said:
I retired that one when the cat in the picture (Sylvester) died on Halloween 2000 at age 19. RIP Sly.
Click to expand...

19... what great times you must have had over those years... i know he's missed.

i'm glad you like tbc - you're welcome to sign up for our family/friends newsletter and we'll fire off a few jars of jam/jelly to you. (my wife has created a nice tbc label, etc ;)

be well and thx for sharing the pics.
 
bodypainter said:
Sylvester has his own page that you might enjoy.

http://www.techquarium.com/sylvester/index.html

It was just him and me for a long time.
Click to expand...

great pages.

"tough guy one minute and sleeping the next"... ain't that the truth :)

what i want to know is how does a guy get the gig of "bodypainter" and... how's biz? (even if it's not constant, it's gotta be great ;)
 
Last edited:
I'm curious how you found oldweakandpathetic.com (note - not safe for work). Not that I try to hide it but I also don't advertise it.

Anyway, that is just another hobby, more recent than the aquariums. I taught myself how to do that because we were going to Key West for Fantasy Fest (last week of October every year) and I know paint is a popular costume. So, I paint my wife and whomever else goes with us each year plus sometimes people we meet while there. I never painted for money though. I'm there to party.

On the 'fun' scale it ranks right up there with about any other hobby though.
 
bodypainter said:
I'm curious how you found oldweakandpathetic.com (note - not safe for work). Not that I try to hide it but I also don't advertise it.
Click to expand...

saw sly's page, scrolled down to read it and, iirc, wound my way there through a link... likely bodypainting or pics, can't remember (and am on my out for tandem ride with wife now, short for time to research)... anyway, it re-directed me to oldandpathetic and i loved the name, so off i went... i'm always curious about what folks have on their sites, so often drill down.

i've edited previous post....

hal
 

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