MacQuarium

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A MacQuarium

A MacQuarium is an aquarium made to sit within the shell of an Apple Macintosh computer. The term was coined by computer writer Andy Ihnatko as a joke (a jibe at the outdatedness of the Macintosh 512K) but MacQuaria have since been built both by Ihnatko himself and by many of his fans, and some are even commercially available.

Ihnatko originally designed the MacQuarium around the Compact Macintosh-style shell; at the time early examples of this form factor (the Macintosh 128K, Macintosh 512K and Macintosh Plus) were completely outdated and thus turning a system into an aquarium was considered "the final upgrade" as well as most affordable way to get have a colour Compact Mac. However, some enthusiasts have since successfully adapted the translucent iMac case (to form an iMacquarium) as well as the Macintosh TV, the Apple Lisa and the Power Mac G4 Cube.

Andy Ihnatko's original construction was called a "MacQuarium," however, both "MacQuarium" and "Macquarium" are acceptable forms and may be used interchangeably.

The first actual aquarium built from or using a Macintosh case is thought to have been by or using parts from two sources located, literally, down the street from Apple headquarters a 1 Infinite Loop Drive off of De Anza Blvd in Cupertino, CA. Across the street from each other was the Tropical Fish Factory and a retail location for Tap Plastics, a supplier of scrap and custom acrylic plastic. The Tropical Fish Factory was Northern California's largest aquarium products and live fish retailer with over 10,000 sq ft (930 m²). of tanks on display. Both businesses are now gone, but their influence on Macquariums will remain.

By 1995, a MacQuarium was being shown in a popular Mac magazine based on a Mac LC 575. Titled "MacQuarium '95", it's creator titled it as the only product with "'95" in its name worth purchasing (A specific jibe at Windows 95)