I Turned a TV into an EPIC Aquarium

There's some really impressive, ultra-fancy fish aquariums. And then there's me. And I'm going to try to make one inside this old TV. Because it gets lonely in here sometimes, so I want some new fish friends, but I don't want a boring, regular fish tank. Hopefully this isn't a total failure, but we'll find out soon. So I got this beauty for $10 on Facebook Marketplace. It's old and doesn't work. So here's my plan. I'm going to take the TV apart, then build a fish tank inside of it, somehow, add plants and decor, then add some fish. Thanks to Huckberry for sponsoring this video. It seems straightforward, but most of my projects don't go that way. So let's just start and take this thing apart. Check this out. It says it was made in 1983. That's pretty cool. And this label here says... Oh. How did it know what I was about to do? It literally says, do not open. To listen to this little sticker, or to not? That is the question. I mean, if it's not plugged in, then there's probably no shock hazard, right? Wrong! I just did a quick little Google search, and this thing is way more dangerous than I thought. That's pretty crazy that this thing can hold a high voltage of electricity after tons of years. So yeah, we're going to be extra cautious, and let's take this thing outside. And I also don't recommend doing this yourself. Okay, I think that's all the screws. Time to open it up. Oh, I've never seen the inside of a television before. So this part here, right there, that's what holds the high voltage of electricity. And thankfully I looked it up, because now I know how to safely discharge it. Also, I don't know why I set up this camera angle where my face is so close to it. Come on, safety first, man. So the instructions online said to attach jumper cables to a screwdriver, and then ground one end by attaching it to a metal rod jammed into the dirt, like this. So now, apparently, you just take the screwdriver, and you pry off right into the metal conductor part, and yeah. I'm a little nervous. I don't really feel like getting electrocuted today, but okay. Here goes nothing. Let's do this. Okay, I think that's it. I think all the electricity should be discharged, I hope. Okay, whew, I can breathe easy again. Okay, well let's take this thing inside, and we'll keep taking it apart. Now it was just full destruction mode as I cut off all the wires and cables, and not gonna lie, I was still nervous and a bit jumpy each time I did it. Thankfully though, I experienced no electrical shocks. It's pretty neat how many parts go into this thing. These are actually the little dials for the front. And I'm gonna add them back in later on. For now though, only a few screws were left until I could fully remove the screen part. Okay, let's see if this pops out. Oh, yes! Dang, there we go. Wow, that's crazy. So I wanna try to keep this front glass piece, because I think that would look so cool to be the front part of the aquarium, and then I'll build everything around it. So I gotta figure out how to dismantle this. Oh yeah, and there's another warning label right here. This one cautioned about how the high vacuum picture tube is dangerous to handle, and that I should refer to a qualified service personnel. Which is definitely me, so with my gloves and screwdriver, I got right to work prying open the vacuum tight seal. Okay, that one got me a little bit. I mean, there's no hiding from it. You probably saw the footage of that jump scare, but I think that's good, because now it means that all the compressed air has been released. And now, I'm left with just this. And I gotta figure out how to get rid of this whole back piece of the glass. I'm kinda thinking of maybe just wrapping it in the towel, and then slowly smashing it with the hammer, but there's probably a better method that works. This is the most fun part yet. This is so weird. It's like one of those aluminum foil cooking tins. What the? How does this make sense? You can't see through it. This is the final part of the glass, and I could have sworn it was clear. Oh wait. Look, it's just flaking off. Yes. Nice. That's clear glass underneath. I was genuinely nervous there for a second that this wasn't gonna work, and my dreams for using this for the front of the fish tank were gonna be a failure, but whatever this is, it's just coming right off. Someone smarter than me, please explain in the comments how this works, because it's like it was spray painted, but then somehow you can see through it. I don't get it, but I kept at it, wiping away the mystery powder stuff until the glass was nice and clear. Then I spent some time sanding down the edges so they were smooth, and here it is. Look at that. I'm so excited that it's working. All right, first things checked off the list, and now for a less dangerous, but probably more challenging part. It's a new day, and I added the knobs back on and the glass part, so now it's just an empty TV. Are you starting to get the vision? Once the tank is built inside, I'll put in some sand, nice plants, maybe some rocks and other stuff, and then fill it up with water and have some cute fishies swimming around. But I've got a long way to go still until I get to that point of having cute little aquatic friends. So it's time to somehow figure out how to build the tank. I'm going to start by using these plexiglass sheets right here. They're nice and thick, so I'm hoping I'll be able to make a nice rectangle shape, and they'll be strong enough to hold the water. Hey, it's Editing Connor here. Let me tell you quick about the sponsor of this video. They're back. It's Huckberry. If you're like me and you wear clothes, they've got tons of great brands and options. Sometimes I'll wear an entire outfit from them. Like this. Head to toe. Oh, and you like hats and accessories too? Great. What about footwear? Yup. Check. And we're not even going to stop there, because a gear guy like me loves Huckberry for all the other stuff that they sell too. Even this candle. That smells absolutely amazing. It really is the best one-stop men's shop. They're having their big summer sale right now, so 10 out of 10, recommend checking them out. I'll put a link in the description. Thank you, Huckberry, for the support. It means a lot. And now, back to the video where I'm building the fish tank. I started by taking measurements and then cutting out four different pieces. For two of the side parts, I had to use a jigsaw to cut out a funky custom shape because of the irregular sides of the TV glass. So my thinking is that these custom cut edges will fit much nicer now against the inside glass part. Oh yeah. It's not perfect, but I think that'll do. I probably edited all of that to make it look like it was a pretty quick process, but that took like over an hour just to cut out these pieces. And off-camera, there was definitely some recuts, not going to lie. But now it's finally time to glue it all together. Do I have any idea, really, what I'm doing? No. But I jimmy-rigged this contraption out of scrap wood to kind of brace it all together. That's going to be like the rough shape there. Not like that. And I've got lots of glue, so yeah. Let's see how it goes. Okay. That was a bit stressful. It was drying so quickly that I had to move really fast, but look, I think, yes, don't fall apart. Oh, look at that. That's our shape right there. Nice. Okay, I can't move it around too much. It's got to dry more. But I'm too excited, so I just went ahead with the satisfying part of removing the protective stickers. Look at that. That's a proper fish tank. I mean, minus the whole front, because, yeah, now we just got to glue it into the TV, and then, then it'll be complete. Using more glue, I carefully gooped on a whole bunch along the edges of the TV glass, and then, for the moment of truth, I fit my DIY tank into place, and just like that, the tank is officially built into the TV. Boom. It's upside down, because I had to clamp it that way, but I'm going to let it dry overnight, and will it actually hold water? At this point, I'm not super sure, but that's a problem for tomorrow. It's time for the most crucial part of this project. The water test. Did I make that feel intense? Okay, good, because this is a big deal. If it doesn't hold water, it's not really an aquarium at all. Oh, yeah, I added this aquarium sealant on the inside corners and joints, basically used the whole tube, so I think that'll help. But I'm going to do it outside, just in case it leaks everywhere, which hopefully doesn't happen here. All right, here we go. Yes, it's not leaking yet. No, okay, never mind. We got some leakage going on right under there. Dang it, it's that front corner right here. Well, this is why I did it outside. So I had to empty it out, I added more of the sealant to the leaking area, had to wait another 48 hours for it to dry, and then nervously filled it all the way back up. Leaks, please. Oh, I think we're good. Nice. Oh, that makes me so happy. My DIY tank is officially watertight. We can finally now move on to the next step. I have been really looking forward to getting to this part. Right now it's just empty and boring, so I feel like adding all the nice stuff inside is really going to help it just come to life. I started by adding sand for the base. Then I put in some rocks and just started getting creative and having fun as I added in different plastic seaweed and plants. Now there is a techy part to this build that I almost forgot about. I gotta add this thing, which is a little filter to help circulate and keep the water nice. And then I also have to add this thing, which is a mini heater. I've learned a lot through this project, especially about how much goes into building a proper aquarium that's safe for the fishies. You can't just chuck them into a container with water and hope for the best. There's much more details to consider. Alright, I'm pretty happy with how it's looking so far, so I think it's time to fill it up. My confidence is way higher now, so I just went for it and did it right inside the studio this time. Next, I used one of these conditioner tabs that helps to neutralize chlorine and other harmful chemicals from regular tap water. While that was bubbling away, I fired up the heater and checked to make sure the filter was working. Yes sir, the water's moving and grooving. That's what we want to see. Okay, I just remembered something. I gotta put on the whole back of the TV still. And it's full of water already. I definitely should have done this first. Was it a struggle? Yes. Yes it was. But after like 15 minutes, I got it attached and now it's time for the final step. I'm so excited to be at this part of the project. There was so many options to choose from, but because of the size of my TV aquarium, I basically could only get a few smaller fish or one bigger betta fish. Also known as a Siamese fighting fish, which sounds way cooler, so that's what I decided on. But as I talked to this helpful employee guy, he told me the one negative part of a betta fish was that their fins are really fragile, so they could rip if I used plastic plants. Which meant I had to get these softer silk type ones, and then empty out the water, take everything out, and basically just redo the whole setup. It's definitely a bit annoying when you have to redo all your work on a project, but in this case, I'm actually really happy that it happened, because I think it looks way better now. I'm gonna fill it with water again, and then we'll add in this conditioner stuff to make it nice and healthy, and then tomorrow, back to the store, and it will be fish adoption day. Alright, round two, for real this time. I headed right to the Siamese fighting fish, and there were so many cool ones to choose from. Oh, I really like this one. This little guy is officially mine. Oh, I didn't even mean to do that pun. Officially? Come on. That's what this guy has to put up with. Back at the studio, I let him acclimate, acclimate? That's a hard word. I let him acclimate to the water for a while, and now, I can release him in. There he goes. Look at him go. I think he loves his new home. I'm gonna put the back of the TV on, and then I'll show you the final reveal. What started as a janky old TV, and became a slightly dangerous process, has now been transformed into an aquarium. Oh yeah, I secretly added LED lights at the top. Come on, I gotta have a fun surprise for you guys. I also rigged up this little opening part for when I feed him. I am a bit biased, but I think it looks really neat. Honestly, way better than a regular boring fish tank. Oh man, I'm pumped up. Very thankful that it's done, because this has taken me many weeks of hard work, but honestly, I'm really happy with how it turned out. And now, I won't be lonely anymore, because I've got my new little fish friend to keep me company. Comment some name suggestions, and I'll choose the best one. Alright, I'm gonna chill for a bit, watch some TV, so thanks for watching this video, and I'll see you next time.