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vadryn 
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Joined: February 05 2007
Location: North Logan
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 Topic: Cheap: Cooling & Fans?
Posted: March 31 2009 at 10:07am |
Have you put together a pretty cheap setup for cooling your tank? Lights? Ballasts? I'm looking for ideas, especially along the lines of using computer parts, to build something into my canopy for cooling.
I have access to old PC Power Supplies, but I'm not sure if they will work for this withoug being plugged into a motherboard. I'd test it if I had a 4 pin fan.
The standard PC case fans are pretty quiet and also pretty inexpensive. I bought a 120v 5" case style fan from RadioShack a while back. It was too expensive to go that route again. It moves a good amount of air, but is also a bit noisy for my liking.
I've been to K-Mart and Walmart and they didn't have anything small enough to work. Where else should I shop?
Thanks.
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tazman1982
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Joined: September 17 2008
Location: west jordan
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Posted: March 31 2009 at 10:11am |
Best buy, FYE (mabey) or online.
The power unit should work with out a mother board, I have seen it many times.
I have two 4" fans in my canopy and they work great.
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75 Reef
55 Reef
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snoyce
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Joined: July 26 2007
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Posted: March 31 2009 at 12:32pm |
Go to newegg.com look for 120mm case fans. I believe it is the fluid dynamic bearing models that are the most quiet but you will pay a little more. most of the good ball bearing ones are also close to silent, some of the brands will give you a DB rating so you know how loud they are. here is a link to the case fan catagory
You can power them off a pc powersupply but I think that is way overkill that will take up more space and usually is running yet another fan in the powersupply. Get a wall wart, I took an old cell phone charger cut off the end and used that or buy one of the ones you can get at walmart or radio shack that you can set the voltage, I believe 12VDC will run the fan at spec, but I run mine at 9v and it moves plenty of air and is even more silent.
If you are set on using a PC power supply I believe you have to short the green wire on the mothboard ATX connector to get the powersupply to be on whenever it is plugged in, but double check me on that as its just from memory.
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Scott Noyce
90G reef ready AGA display
basment 20G sump, 29G fuge
4x54 watt T5 retro SLR
Octopus NW150
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theanimalman
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Joined: March 09 2007
Location: Farmington
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Posted: April 02 2009 at 4:54pm |
There are a ton of DIY articles on the web about this.
The basics are these.
Get a DC computer case fan. I got mine for $8.00
Grab an old transformer plug from an old cell phone that you don't have anymore, an old spotlight, an old radio, etc. Find a transformer that has a similar output to the fan.
I used an old spot light transformer I had. Something like this.
Plug it in and test it. Make sure its not making and funny noises or smells.
I've had mine in my canopy for about six months now and it works well. I think after I get one more light in the canopy I'll install another fan.
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Mark Peterson
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Joined: June 19 2002
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Posted: April 03 2009 at 1:28am |
One of the best ways to cool a tank is also the least expensive. Buy a small clip-on fan for $10-15 and point it at an angle across the water, not at the lights. It's the evaporation of water that maximizes the cooling effect. Even on a large tank, one fan does the trick. Adjusting the angle of the air hitting the water modifies the cooling effect. The fan can be placed on a refugium so as to be completely out of sight. Also, have the fan come on with the lights by plugging it into the same timer, the MH in particular. This does a mighty fine job of cooling - as much as 15 degrees if adjusted properly. And if one fan in the hood isn't cooling good enough, and if it cannot be angled down across the water, be sure that when another fan is added, that both fans are blowing cool air into the hood. Two fans blowing cool air into the hood is twice as effective as one fan blowing in and another blowing out. (Think about it a little and it starts to make sense.) 
Edited by Mark Peterson - April 03 2009 at 1:37am
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Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks:www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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BobC63
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Joined: January 17 2007
Location: Lehi, UT
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Posted: April 03 2009 at 8:26am |
Hey Mark -
Any idea where you can find those clip-on fans anymore?
I had one I bought from WalMart a couple of years ago and it blew out... went to 3 different WalMarts and they don't carry them anymore... tried Home Depot with no luck...
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- My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) -
* Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 *
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vadryn
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Location: North Logan
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Posted: April 03 2009 at 9:33am |
I made the rounds a couple days ago and the story was that they were just starting to get their summer stuff in. What isn't there today may be stocked and selling in 2 weeks. I hit a local K-mart and WaMMart and got the same story.
I've tried the case fan with the power transformer thing and that's worked quite well... as long as I plug the right wires together and don't get that funny smell...  |
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