The Apple Lisa was awesome, everything about it was extravagant. The Lisa boasted one megabyte (or more) of RAM and a graphical interface that was stunning in its absolute uniqueness. Priced at about $10,000, this was the Rolls Royce of personal computers in 1982.

Only three LisaQuariums were ever built. I completed the first in July 1995 and it has been in constant use since. I built the second LisaQuarium a couple months later. When I left Tulsa, I gave LisaQuarium #2 to my good friend Monte to do with as he wished. In December 1997, I was commissioned to build a LisaQuarium for (if I recall correctly) a man in Las Vegas. He had an unusual request in that he wanted his LisaQuarium painted Hunter Green. I built it, painted it, and shipped it off; and never heard from him again.

I have one more Lisa shell that I never built a tank for, so someday there will be a fourth LisaQuarium. After that there will almost certainly never be another. The Lisa has achieved a much deserved collectible status in the last few years and I can't imagine tearing one up, given the current demand (and prices) for this great old computer.

The LisaQuarium is my favorite design. It allows plenty of room for the light and pump and the tank is uncomplicated in design and straightforward to build. The case and inner frame of the Lisa are easy to dissassemble and convert into an aquarium enclosure.

In the picture (above left) the space for the air pump, hoses, and light can be seen. I left room behind the tank for the original Lisa motherboard (above right) to slide in and form a backdrop for the aquarium. I occasionally remove this circuit board and replace it with a mirror to create a different look.

These are all pictures of the original Lisaquarium. Although I started with 4 Lisa cases, I only had one keyboard and no genuine Lisa mice. To complete the illusion, I really need a Lisa mouse to sit with this tank. Anybody out there have an unwanted Lisa mouse lying about? Write me.

If you want to see more pictures of the LisaQuarium, including a pictoral series of the building process, be sure to check out the original Aquaria by Jim website.