Have some comments you'd like to leave? Want to ask a question anonymously? Constructive, silly & uplifting comments all accepted.

And in case you're curious - the Macquarium everyone is talking about is here.

OK, I give up - I had so many spammers spam-submit on my guestbook that I turned off the auto-posting, but having to review each one and find that most of them were spam got old after a while. So if you want to make a post, just drop me an email and let me know if I should include your email and I'll make it happen. - Thanks

Monday, November 22, 2004
terry
Lincoln, NE - USA
Thanks for sharing the box directions--Great idea. God Bless!

Host: 202.84.240.73
Friday October 29, 2004   20:13:17
dewi
I found the web site very informative and interesting. Lots of good Information here.

Host: 80.58.36.172
Sunday September 26, 2004   07:43:20
Jose A. Momparler
Uau! Me he metido por casualidad porque estaba mirando p·ginas sobre el Macintosh Classic y me he quedado con la boca abierta... quÈ cosas hacen los americanos!! Transformar un ordenador viejo en pecera!!! Entonces es verdad todo lo que sale en Los Simpsons??

[According to Babelfish, you're a little surprised someone would do this - don't know if the Simpsons ever did it, but I had fun :) -Matt]

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Friday September 24, 2004   21:42:07
Deja Frank
The mac aquarium looks really nice (i've got one.) in my living room.

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Monday September 06, 2004   18:48:09
David Magalnick
Hey Matt. I don't know if you remember me, but you and your sister grew up with my brother Joel and I in Denver. I just came across your site and decided to leave you a little note. My fiancee and I live in San Diego, and your wife used to work at her temple in Denver. So perhaps we can all get back in touch with each other soon here.

Host: 66.42.54.85
Wednesday August 25, 2004   23:07:47
Brenda
I love the idea of turning old macs into Macquariums. It's so original ^_^ but my hubby wont let me turn his into one. sniff sniff I love Tigger's pics, he is so cute (Im a Kitty lover) Great site ^^

Host: 67.180.83.174
Saturday July 10, 2004   23:10:12
Xiphos
Perhaps instead of an aquarium, you could ressurect that sucker as a P4 using a FlexATX mainboard and a 9.4", 9.5" or 10.4" LCD, then give it to the kid for a learning system? Or just throw it out as your wife would like, and start out with a new classic Mac case when you're ready? Not exactly a shortage of these things...

Host: 68.18.62.126
Wednesday July 07, 2004   13:45:19
Nicole
Great site. Ive been wanting to do something like this for a long time. I allready have a blender fishtank, a computer fishtank is definitly going to brighten my home, thanks again.

Host: 24.176.213.33
Wednesday June 30, 2004   23:08:21
David Alpern
You said that a web master updates his own site last...but not since 2001! Enjoyed surfing the site. Looking forward to our next session of "Klaffim". Heide can tell you what that means. :-)

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Friday June 18, 2004   06:12:23
Laurel Radomski
Great sense of humor, Matt. Awsome art, too.

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Saturday June 12, 2004   08:42:03
Dale from Virginia
Thanks for the folded box instructions - it was just what I was looking for. Made them as a kid and now my children can make them too!

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Saturday April 03, 2004   16:54:50
bill
Be <a href="http://www.smile.com/">happy!</a>

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Thursday April 01, 2004   15:09:22
John
Can you put up some pictures soon?????

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Friday March 05, 2004   01:21:51
Donald Kinney
Hi Matt, Not to change the subject, but I enjoyed seeing the photos of your ciber-kitty, Tigger. That's a real cutie. If I can squeeze in a plug, I've got a tuxedo-cat named Kitty with her own blog-site at: http://www.pestbouncer.com Best regards, Donald Kinney

Host: 67.31.76.18
Thursday February 19, 2004   03:38:43
Crystal Standish
Look fella, You gotta persevere. Get a book on aquariums. You may be a pretty good engineer, but you gotta be an aquarist to keep the fish alive. They are living things and they are just like kids, U gotta give them a safe environ. If U killed goldfish, you need a book. There's no shame in it. I know U can do it! You've come this far-Don't give up. If all else fails, turn it into a terrarium. Fill it with potting soil up to the bottom of the window and put small plants in. Keep the soil mosit.(don't over-water) and TA-DAH! Your wife will probably like it and help with the upkeep including feeding (Ya gotta feed plants just like fish) Living things remember?. Anyway, good luck. If U want to dump it, contact me. I'll take it.

Host: 12.78.56.125
Wednesday January 28, 2004   18:09:55
Mikie Man
Hey it might help to use a product called Cycle. It devlops the biological enviroment that keeps the fish alive. In lamens terms it will help your fish live. Also try zebra Danios for the fish thy are bullet proof. I have yet to kill one and i have been keeping tanks for five years!!

Host: 68.23.212.63
Friday December 05, 2003   19:41:01
Sam
Hi Matt, Just read your macquarium page and I want to keep encouraging you. I made two 512K mac to macquarium conversions in 1996 aprox. I gave them to my two older brothers for Christmas gifts. I was hoping to convert our family 128K to a macquarium when it evenutally died... but while cleaning ou the back room, it disappeard when I wasn't home. But I think it was for the best since I moved several times since then and I didn't have a garage to store it. This Christmas I've convinced one of my brothers to return a macQuarium. Hopefully it will be in still working condition to host my roommate's fish named fishy. And I'm proud of you for holding onto the macquarium, even if it needs to be in hiding so your wife doesn't find out. Good job! Sam

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Monday November 24, 2003   07:07:03
Drwhom
cool idea redirected from another sight figured I'd let you know I liked your idea

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Thursday November 20, 2003   06:09:27
Jon
Great instructions. A picture of the finished aquarium would be nice too.

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Monday November 10, 2003   14:30:27
dale
Thanks, someone mentioned this for our two-year old i-Mac that just died and we thought it was a better idea than using it as an anchor. We're a Mac family, so someone might get it for a gift if we really get going. We'll take a picture if we do!

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Sunday October 12, 2003   20:17:24
jinx
dude - its the later part of 2003 and you still haven't put up a picture. Whats the dandy?

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Monday September 01, 2003   16:41:58
Tom
lame!! i want to see the finished product.. :)

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Tuesday July 22, 2003   21:44:17
Trent
I would crown you king of the procrastinators, but I think i will do it later.

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Sunday July 20, 2003   05:09:18
mugu
is good oka so keep on oooooooooooooooooooooo

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Thursday July 17, 2003   14:32:11
Peter
You sod! where's the pics of the macquarium? Your worldwide audience awaits!!!

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Wednesday July 16, 2003   12:03:16
Fishtankstore.com
Nice Site.

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Sunday July 13, 2003   20:56:46
blonde amateur
Your site is excellent

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Saturday July 05, 2003   19:07:59
Diane
Suggest you get it working, before wife decides to: a. clean all closets for good will contibutions. b. move to bigger house and find it during packing. c. rent a dumpster to get rid off all stuff not used in over a year. Good Luck. Diane

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Saturday July 05, 2003   02:51:07
daina
love your site

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Friday July 04, 2003   05:06:19
rape
<a href=http://www.richposters.com/rape/index.html>Rape</a>

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Monday June 16, 2003   00:37:38
ang*e
i want to see your finished mac aquarium! c'mon! POST! please! i'm gonna make one this summer. in the meantime, i'm drooling at everyone else's finished macaquariums. *AHEM!*

Host: 208.250.40.2
Friday June 13, 2003   16:57:35
[email protected]
Cool Site. Wish there were more like this one on the Net.

Host: 24.44.86.241
Wednesday June 11, 2003   20:45:45
MacConverted
Hey, it really did work! I used the keyhole saw and had the glass ground down (the edges don't cut). You have a very friendly sort of site.

Host: 207.202.132.109
Monday June 09, 2003   07:44:10
Adam
Many times when fish won't stop jumping out of a tank its because you didn't de-chlorinate the water. There little gills are burning.

Host: 24.136.87.243
Friday June 06, 2003   18:57:16
Dan Veed
Thanks for putting together such a great site.

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Saturday May 31, 2003   02:16:53
tat
This site very nice

Host: 129.42.208.186
Tuesday May 20, 2003   17:28:51
bigthor
Nice info about the MacQuarium. I'm working on building one out of acrylic instead of glass (it seals better). I'll get some pics up when it's finished- hope you do the same soon. And BTW- Bettas do jump. I've raised them before.

Host: 217.137.109.72
Friday May 09, 2003   16:08:09
del boy
brilliant!!

Host: 68.0.149.240
Monday May 05, 2003   23:21:23
R.
Hey! Thanks for posting instructions on how to make that little paper box! I'm doing some craft stuff for a fair and after a long and irritating search on Google, your instructions were the most intelligent and intelligible. Great job!

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Wednesday April 30, 2003   09:45:10
Killa Batch
Straight up!

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Tuesday April 29, 2003   07:58:00
jax
love your site

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Monday April 21, 2003   17:41:10
Webmaestro
Very nice website.

Saturday April 12, 2003   09:07:49
illumineX development team
Hook up a web cam to the site, so we can see the fish! Fruit-flavor iMac shells might make tanks that are so cool you could probably sell them on eBay until you made enough money to buy a new iMac and a web cam. :-) Drop by our site sometime. We do WebObjects development and Java consulting. On weekends we make games for Mac OS X.
http://illumineX.com

Tuesday April 01, 2003   10:37:08
maytttt
im a tank my name is matt long

Friday March 28, 2003   08:08:18
Michelle
Hey, that's a nice page! Please also visit mine and just leave a comment somewhere if you like. I update several times a day, perfect place if you're bored. Read my biography and share your thoughts and experiences with me, see my movie reviews, I'm a movie junkie and watch about everything. Have a nice day! Much love, Michelle :) P.S. Maybe you wanna even affiliate with me? http://www.vacuity.de

Thursday March 13, 2003   20:07:27
Stacy
Was it worth it? Was it fun? Do you still have it? Should I try one?

Saturday March 08, 2003   17:07:18
Vernon Chumbley
Very Nice Site! :)

Tuesday February 25, 2003   13:54:43
cbhghgj
i dont think it is real wood because real woood is not clear but i have to say it is ver great

Saturday February 22, 2003   21:27:40
Peter
I was doing research on nerds, I found your website very informative. I especially liked the picture of you, I was wondering if I could use it for my project.

Friday February 21, 2003   09:21:57
Jesica Brown
Cool Web Site. I really enjoyed the visit, and hope to come back soon.

Wednesday February 19, 2003   09:16:46
Yaacov S
Nice Site

Sunday February 16, 2003   16:27:54
Michelle
I was trying to find scematics for making a wooden box, when I came upon the directons for making a paper one instead. I wanted to drop a line and thank you for showing me how to make a paper box, since I am always up to learning useful things. *throws paperclips in little white box.* THANK YOU!! :)

Friday February 14, 2003   18:20:01
Sam Douglas
You lazy git! get some photos up! :p

Friday January 31, 2003   17:24:39
Eric
Nice page. I'm working on converting my old Mac Plus as I type. The silicone is drying, and the vapors are making me happy. Here's some ideas that I had, in case anyone wanted to make theirs even cooler.... 1) after ripping the thing apart, I broke the ports off of the motherboard, and epoxied them back into place. This is so the board is gone and out of the way, but from behind still looks like a working computer. 2) I did the same for the phone jack and brightness dial in front. So far not sure if the dial will fit ok when I put the tank in, but I can always cut it so that just the exposed part is glued there. 3) I have an external disk drive that I hooked up to the serial port. I cutted it, and can use it to store filters or food or whatever. 4) I ripped the old power switch off of the analog board. I drilled two small holes into the remaining part of the metal pieces on the back of it. When I get a light, I'll cut into the chord and wire the switch in, and epoxy it back into place. That way I can use the original on/off switch to turn the light on! I like your idea of throwing a disk in the tank to keep with the computer feel. I have some RAM chips and junk I yanked from the motherboard, so I may put that in too. What would be GREAT is if there were a background that looked like a circuit board!! Well, later!

Saturday January 18, 2003   08:55:36
jmaupin3
hi did you ceep any of the parts?

Monday January 13, 2003   13:18:44
sesgai
i would like to build a 50 gal tank but i dont know about the pressure of the glass and the glue?

Monday January 13, 2003   03:42:00
NP
Congratulation, your web page is quite good and you must have spent fair bit of time to it. Your instructions/ pictures are quite clear and helpful. We did try with an old 68 cm TV tube. You better not try serious injury can occur. I used to be a rookie TV repairman so I know how to crack a CRT right. I made an opening on the top of the CRT and place it on a frame. The whole thing was a complete was of time because maintenance was a nuisan. Yours is square, easier. Thanks and keep it fishieee :-)

Friday January 10, 2003   09:16:03
Paul W. Hawkins
Cincinatti is a neat town. The idea of making a computer into an aquarium is very creative. I hope that the next project will be as much fun. Best wishes for the New Year, 2003!

Friday January 03, 2003   11:18:11
CV Kennedy
I really enjoyed the site. I found it listed on Google. Enjoy the New Year. CV Kennedy instantterm.com

Friday December 27, 2002   19:00:21
Ded_Man
well.. you wanted comments... anyway, i know how that is, with your fishtank project.. can't fault you there, it must be a pain to clean. anyway, if you want my two cents, i'm planning on buying one of those new 19cm by 19cm motherboards, with all kinds of integrated stuff, and jamming it into one of my 4 compact macs.. unfortunatly, i refuse to start this project untill i have procured a suitable monitor for it. i won't be having a scruffy, non-fitting, monitor in _my_ converted mac.. have a nice day, sorry about the ramble.

Wednesday December 18, 2002   09:42:16
Rob
Thanks for documenting all your problems with the Macquarium. I have an old Mac Plus sitting here and heard about one of these years ago and I am off to start my adventure. Hopefully your hints will help me in my design.. Thanks again, Rob

Wednesday December 04, 2002   19:46:27
Mulattabianca
poor macuarium!! but i do like the idea... i'll want instead to transform instead a quadra to a 970-inside-it-computer one day... ;D

Wednesday December 04, 2002   10:41:13
Sandy
I first visited your site after reading a post you made on the imagefolio forums. You were so nice to give the answer to your problem to everyone in the forum after you figured it out. Plus, your attitude was very nice so I had to check out your site. I am NOT disappointed. Very nice site! Thank you for the antivirus tools. They will be great for my site. Good Luck to you!

Friday November 29, 2002   12:09:27
Mac-grrl
Great stuff! Hopefully I can share with you a successful Macquarium story soon after the holidays!

Wednesday November 27, 2002   16:23:15
Timbo
Am about to convert an Imac into a fish tank. Have ripped the guts out of it and am planning on fiberglassing the inside and using perspex for the front screen area. Have already mounted a clip for the filter on the top and cut a hole and hinged the top as well for easy access. Has anyone else done this with an IMAC at all?

Monday November 25, 2002   10:39:28
Beamer
Cool way of making a house for ur fishes..............

Monday November 25, 2002   09:19:17
matt
nice.

Thursday November 21, 2002   16:29:24
Mark Thomas
Hi...I think the tank idea is GREAT, since I always try to find ways to 'redo, recycle, reuse'...As fer the Case of The High Flying Fish problem the only thing I would do is add some sort of filler between the tank and the case.....say....styrofoam cut to fit and sealed with adhesive....(I think I'd put some sorta Aqua-scene posted on the back of the tank for the illusion of depth...

Sunday November 10, 2002   09:05:59
Back Gammon
Very amusing story... I recently found an old SE/HD that I would like to pay someone to convert...

Sunday November 10, 2002   07:54:51
sp0rk
It's amazing that you are still updating this page, which started in 1995!! I think i speak for everyone when i say we appreciate keeping us updated on this great project. I hope you eventually get pictures up though. Thanks!

Wednesday November 06, 2002   11:28:40
JENNIFER
LOVED YOUR STORY REALLY FUNNY I STILL HAVEN'T QUITE FIGURED OUT YET WHAT A MACAQARIUM IS OR EVEN LOOKS LIKE SO PLEASE HURRY AND PUT THE FINISHED PRODUCT UP

Thursday October 31, 2002   10:01:53
Doc Ric
Very nice story, I am very sorry about your fishes!! You can add the exotic plants in Mac!!! It would be nice Colorful MacPlant!!!

Sunday October 20, 2002   23:40:34
Evie Cohen
I found your site while looking up my son's name (Matthew Cohen) on Google, and got a real kick out of your site. He is also a Mac user, and works in L.A. And I work in Denver for the Federation! So. . .a bit of familiarity here. I hope my son looks up your site. Evie

Tuesday October 15, 2002   07:46:18
Laura
hello my friends: I¥m new in this stuff, I¥m from Mexico and I have found few information about building my acquarium (for people like me you know...), maybe it¥s because I don¥t understand too much english but I was wondering If you could make a translation for all of us in spanish, to could enjoy of your knowledge... I hope I could express my feelings, even though, I send you all my thanks... see you

Thursday October 03, 2002   12:28:11
Sally Karo
Keep trying with the goldfish. You just need some information on how to go through the water cycle to make your habitat livable for fish. Water has to cycle. Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate to good water, or borrow a handful of aquarium gravel from a healthy living aquarium and start out with your bacteria already working.... Good luck !!!!

Thursday October 03, 2002   12:27:38
Sally Karo
Keep trying with the goldfish. You just need some information on how to go through the water cycle to make your habitat livable for fish. Water has to cycle. Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate to good water, or borrow a handful of aquarium gravel from a healthy living aquarium and start out with your bacteria already working....

Thursday September 26, 2002   16:13:58
Bill
Hi!

Tuesday September 24, 2002   23:42:27
Sarvodaya
I want to see that macquarium and please try to remove that dry algae on it. Thank you veyr much

Sunday September 22, 2002   23:18:15
Scott
Ok, I wanna see the finished product! :0

Friday September 06, 2002   01:34:52
George
Great. Looks really good -G

Monday September 02, 2002   00:27:22
wayne
very ingenious,quite a conversation piece,surely a one of a kind. i admire your efforts

Thursday August 22, 2002   04:57:52
armando salle
congratulations, this site is very nice!

Monday August 19, 2002   00:39:30
Tom
Weird and Cool. http://www.AquariumFish.net

Wednesday July 31, 2002   05:57:31
Marcus Beckmann
Finally I know what Macs are made for ;) Nice Site ...
cheers Marcus

Sunday June 09, 2002   08:13:14
Jason
i tryed this my self to see if i could do it and when i was finnished it looked really cool then about one month latly a mate of mine came round to see it he baught it off me for £250.

Wednesday June 05, 2002   03:22:25
gerd
comment :-) greetings from germany http://www.imade.de

Tuesday May 14, 2002   07:56:23
Danal Shappeno
I really love this! I've adored it secretly for years. We gave that old computer to a very happy kid.

Friday May 10, 2002   11:34:38
Jenny Foley
Hey that was great. <a href="http://yahoo.com">.</a>

Thursday April 25, 2002   11:53:01
Yann
Just great. I am on a plan to get an old SE model at job. This idea of reconversion is excellent, I'll think of it if it doesn't fit the room. Please keep on creating like you are

Monday March 25, 2002   06:28:38
Denise
Hey what a great idea for an aquarium!! Do you have any ideas to make one out of an old television??

Saturday February 23, 2002   15:52:14
Sharon
I wish I had seen your website sooner. I had approx. 25 Mac monitors I sent to the dump last fall.They were part of a huge pile of obsolete computers I had bought at a school auction the previous year. Oh what a waste!

Tuesday January 22, 2002   13:19:31
Tom
you're so funny, dude.

Wednesday January 16, 2002   16:50:23
Nathan
I am thinking of making a macquarium and the pictures that you do have give me some idea of what i am getting into.

Saturday September 01, 2001   09:58:20
Sherry Holdridge
For years I've wanted my own MacQuarium, now I have a great project this weekend. BTW: The MacQuarium is NOT the ONLY use for a Mac. Proud Mac User & Advocate!!! 10 Sharp Design http:www.10sharpdesign.com

I had just about given up finding directions for transforming my $9 Mac shell into a fish tank. You and Andy are gods. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and mistakes with the rest of us.

Make sure the sealant you use on your tank is ok for fish, or you have been poisioning them the entire time. Don't forget regular fish need a filter. It might be good for a betta and you have to change the water regularly (2-4 times per week with conditioned water) if you don't have a regular filter, and I would suggest an air pump to give him a bit more air.

hey found your site while surfin, kwel, I have 30 macs a few SE a couple of classics a a few plusses and a lot of 512's most work the ones that dont I am using as decorations outside ideas.. like lamps on lamposts they look neat I placed curved plastic inside and they look origional, I also built mac birdhouses, bat houses (they love them! and now a squrirrel box, next? well if I have time Im building outside porch lites motion sensitive, Im keeping the good SE's and classics and one plus for my own museum, great site!.

I can't believe you did this to a perfectly good computer! (Well, maybe yours didn't work. Mine still do!) And why do people make fun of Macs? They function don't they? I use both Windows and Macs. (I have to. I work at Microsoft.)

You are sad

Thanks for the tips. I want to reasearch this as much as posible before doing anything. I know know to avoid expanding foam frogs and fish suffering from depression! LOL!

A (.doc) file for the directions. A windows file from a mac user? LOL

Hi I was wondering whether you could sell/loan me a Mac Cracker! I live in the UK but would pay your shipping costs. Please let me know,...Ross

Great story, shame no pictures. I've always thought of doing this to a old T.V. (big cabenete, space under/bhind speakers for equipment etc. But didn't think ot a Mac.

I think you should try the Macquarium again. You've worked so hard on it, it seems a waste. Why dont you take it down to your local fish acquarium shop and talk to them about your problem.

c/o 03 rulz

RE: Macquarium. If you're thinking of trying to get it back up and working, I've got a macquarium with a Betta in it. They don't jump or flip or anything. Also, I put christmas lights behind the filter since I couldn't find any other light source that would fit. You can see a picture of it at http://www.ele.uri.edu/~rolo/macquarium/

See what other strange denizens of the 'net have visited my page - see my guestbook archives.