You get what you see. The shell of my childhood Apple Macintosh SE, a custom built aquarium insert purchased specifically to build a Mac-aquarium. Made to fit Penn Plax Undertow \"e\" Undergraval Aquarium Filter included (air pump not included). You also get my keyboard and mouse, unknown if they work but they likely won\'t control your fish.
Enjoyed this in my living room and den as a fish aquarium for many years. It\'s been in the basement for the last decade. Hopefully you can find use for it. If nothing else you can fill it with marbles.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
AMacquariumis anaquariummade to sit within the shell of anApple Macintoshcomputer. The term was coined by computer writerAndy Ihnatkoas a joke (a jibe at then outdatedMacintosh 512K)[1]but Macquariums have since been built both by Ihnatko himself and by others.
Ihnatko originally designed his Macquarium to use theCompact Macintosh-style shell. In the early 1990s several Mac models in this form factor (theMacintosh 128K,Macintosh 512KandMacintosh Plus) were becoming obsolete, and Ihnatko considered that turning one into an aquarium might be \"the final upgrade\" — as well as an affordable way to have a color Compact Mac. He has mentioned in interviews[1]that he had seen previous, over-complex attempts at Macintosh aquariums attrade showsthat among other drawbacks suffered from noticeable water level lines across the \"screen\" that spoiled the illusion of a \"really good screensaver\", which drove him to design a version without a visible water line and which allowed the external case of the donor Mac to remain intact.
Ihnatko\'s slant-front tank design, made of glass, had a nominal capacity of approximately 10 liters (2.2 UK gallons or 2.5 US gallons). Some subsequent designs have utilizedacrylic glassorlexan. Because of its small capacity relative to most other aquariums, the Macquarium is considered a form ofpico aquarium, which requires a higher level of diligence to maintain proper water chemistry and cleanliness.
Some of the Macquariums built by others on an individual basis, the versions that Ihnatko refers to as \"overly complex\", were constructed with parts from two sources located closer toAppleheadquarters a 1 Infinite Loop onDe Anza BlvdinCupertino, CA. Across the street from each other was theTropical Fish Factoryand a retail location forTap Plastics, a supplier of scrap and custom acrylic plastic.[2]The Tropical Fish Factory was one of Northern California\'s largest aquarium products and live fish retailers. Both businesses are now gone, but their impact on Macquariums will remain. How these Macquariums differed is that the actual Macintosh shell was the aquarium where vent holes and the screen was sealed so that it could hold water.
Macquariums are often stocked with 2-3goldfishwhich do not require tank heaters and are cheap. But because goldfish grow large, have high oxygen requirements and are messy eaters they require much larger tanks for survival,[3]Siamese fighting fishand small shrimp are better options.
Other Mac models have similarly been made into aquariums such as the iMac,Macintosh TV, theApple Lisaand thePower Mac G4 Cube.[4]VariousiMacmodels have been used to make \"iMacquariums\". By 1995, a Macquarium based on aMacintosh LC 575appeared in a Macintosh magazine titled \"Macquarium \'95\".
The term \"Macquarium\" as it refers to the Macintosh-based aquarium is unrelated to theAtlanta, Georgia, user experience firm Macquarium Intelligent Communications.[5]
