We need to adopt the shelf a little in order to fit the fish tank and the plumbing in.

Let's start with the main compartment for the fish tank: To do so, draw a mark at the second vertical panel (the one in the middle of the cabinet) 4.8cm from the back-facing end. Cut the panel in two pieces with your jig saw. The smaller part (4.8cm wide) we will use as support beam at the backside of the shelf as shown on the picture.

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That was the tricky part for me, as I was not sure about the material and inner structure used for the panels. Turns out that it consists of two layers of 5mm chipboard filled with paper in a honeycomb structure as support.

I was afraid that the saw could destroy or at least destabilize the remaining parts but that was not the case. At the pictures you can actually see, how the boards are built and that it is no problem to cut them as described here.

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Now we need to cut holes in the top panel. At first find the appropriate places for the holes to be cut by placing the flower boxes on top. You want to have your flower boxes covering the holes in the end, so experiment a litle to get everything in place as you like it. I figured out, that two rectangular holes (20x8cm) work best for my flower boxes - big enough to access the fish tank from the top and small enough, to remain completely covered by the grow beds. Mark the holes and use your drill bit to cut two holes and then extend it with your jigsaw to its final rectangular shape.

Finally, I used a 5cm drill saw bit to cut a couple of holes into the upper end of the two thin back panels of the cabinet. This allows some light in and allows also to put the power cord for the pump in.

At first I planned to paint the sides of the panels I with white paint but then found a roll of white duct tape - much quicker and easer to apply!