The Telly Tank

By Sam Nonnan
First published in Tank Talk, Canberra and District Aquarium Society, Australia
Aquarticles

Recently on the television show Our House, the carpentry specialist explained how to convert an old television into a fish tank. I'd had this idea for many years and had always wanted to make one, but had never known quite where to start. The show gave me all the information I needed to begin building my Telly Tank.

Firstly I had to nag my dad. This is an essential part of any large undertaking in my household. When he finally caved in, we jumped into the car and headed for Revolve. By pure luck, Revolve was having a $5 TV sale. I found the perfect specimen: a large 26 inch TV, probably one of the earliest models.

When we arrived home again, I began the "gutting" process. I had heard from a friend that old tellies were still dangerous because of something called capacitors, which could store electricity for many years. Letting my dad do the dangerous bit of removing everything [dads are good for things like that... editor] but the external dials, he soon discovered the hard way which thingies were the capacitors. Later, when our telly was hollow, I scrummaged around under the house and found a large square of thick chipboard (actually it was a cupboard door from our old kitchen). I screwed this to the base of the telly to stop the tank crashing through it (you may be surprised how much a full fish tank weighs).

After sanding back and estapoling the outside of the telly, I was ready to get mathematical. I had to design a hole in the top of the telly that was big enough for the glass lid to be lifted in and out, but small enough for the light to sit around the hole. I designed my access hole to fit my two foot light, but if you don't mind a slightly duller tank, a one foot light can be disguised using the shell from an old VCR to fit the theme.

I marked out my cutting lines - then I had to work out how exactly to cut them. I don't own a jigsaw, so I had to use some pretty tricky drilling and hand sawing to cut out the hole. It worked, but after that effort I would not recommend trying it unless you are fairly skilled. Try to borrow or hire a jigsaw from a friend or hire store.

When planning my Telly Tank I was intending to have a new tank custom made to fit the TV but to my total surprise, my existing extra tall two foot tank fitted perfectly. I even had enough room to have the power board and airpump behind the speaker section so that all that came out of the TV was one white lead. I reattached the TV stand and began to refill my tank.

Important things to remember when building your Telly Tank are that your TV needs to be in fairly good nick, or be finished in plywood. This way you can sand it back, which just isn't an option with a laminated telly. Another point is to either have your TV gutted by a professional or be very careful, you might not be as lucky as my dad (who claimed it only felt like a shock from a spark plug). And lastly, don't try to get tricky, like wiring your light cord through the power button (I really wanted to do this), it's just not safe because moisture and electricity don't mix. [also check with an electrician...... editor]

The whole project only cost me the $5 for the TV, but if you don't have the luck at finding useful items like I did, it may cost up to $25 [plus tank costs.. editor]. Still pretty cheap for such a great tank stand.