How To: DIY Cooling Fan

[ShrimpDesigns]

Over the past month or two I have been gathering information and parts to construct a few cooling fans for my tanks as they house delicate shrimp. This build cost $40 per fan although it could certainly be done for less. Anyway here is how it was put together.

1. Draw up plans so materials can be cut to size later on. Here I used a good quality 80mm fan (Noctua Redux NF-R8 1800rpm). This fan cost $14 although you can get cheaper ones which would probably do a similar job for about half the price.

2. Out of the four wires supplied, the only ones needed were the black and yellow. This meant we had to buy a jack plug which connected to the fan and then an AC/DC 12 volt adaptor.

3. Get some clear acrylic cut to size. Once again you can save money here, we had a plastics company do it for us and it cost $57 just for the pieces shown. So if budget is a problem it would be best to buy your own acrylic and cut it yourself.

4. Drill holes so that the screws supplied with the fan can be used to hold the fan to the acrylic. Then, make an adjustable clamp to hold on the side of aquarium using wing nuts and screws.

5. Attach to aquarium, plug in and your done!

A Couple of Things to Remember

- When looking for a fan make sure you get one with low decibels ( under 20 is good ), low RPM ( so it doesn't disturb the water to much and high air flow ( measured in m³/h, mine is 53m³/h to give you an idea

- Pricing per Fan

Fan $14 (MSY)

Acrylic $20 (cut to size)

Wing nuts and Screws $2 (Bunnings)

Adaptors $2 (eBay)

- Overall the fan does the job nicely and consistently brings the temperature down for those hot days.

Thanks for reading,

Louis

[Squiggle]

Nice job dude, looks very professional!

[ShrimpDesigns]

Nice job dude, looks very professional!

Thanks squiggle!

[Guest]

Amazing! I was exploring a diy pc fans cooling method months back but it was feasible to have my local plastic provider to cut and fabricate. They charged so much per cut and I lacked proper tools.

Great stuff!

[ShrimpDesigns]

Amazing! I was exploring a diy pc fans cooling method months back but it was feasible to have my local plastic provider to cut and fabricate. They charged so much per cut and I lacked proper tools.

Great stuff!

Thanks mate, you could go out and buy some tools but it would probably end up the same cost and wouldn't have an as slick finish.

[ShrimpFan]

Had to add my own design to this post because it's inspired me so much.

Nothing like OP's design but I managed to keep my cost significantly lower.

This fan has a Low - High speed mode. I Wanted to do something like this because I wanted to option to fit this fan on small (4gal) - large (20L) tanks. 

Edited August 2, 2015 by ShrimpFan

[jc12]

Had to add my own design to this post because it's inspired me so much.

Nothing like OP's design but I managed to keep my cost significantly lower.

This fan has a Low - High speed mode. I Wanted to do something like this because I wanted to option to fit this fan on small (4gal) - large (20L) tanks. 

 

Very nice. May I ask where did you get the mounting clip for the fan? Clean and simple. Both OP and yours look really nice. Thanks for sharing.

[ShrimpFan]

I got the clip at a local plastics shop. I'm not sure if you have anything similar to that if you're located in Australia as I am in America. I had to use a heat gun to heat up the plastic and stretch it to fit the thickness of the rimless tanks. Works really well and sturdy. 

[jayc]

Shrimp Fan made a fan for shrimp. LOL!

Very clever and yet so simple. 

Edited August 3, 2015 by jayc

[ShrimpFan]

Shrimp Fan made a fan for shrimp. LOL!

Very clever and yet so simple.

LOL! It's funny. I didn't catch the irony until now!

[Anaeflurane]

I got the clip at a local plastics shop. I'm not sure if you have anything similar to that if you're located in Australia as I am in America. I had to use a heat gun to heat up the plastic and stretch it to fit the thickness of the rimless tanks. Works really well and sturdy. 

Could you possible ask the plastics store what the intended use is so I could ask one here :D

[2OFUS]

I have to add my own diy aswell lol 

very very very efficient and also cost less then $15 :) 

 

down fall .... Plenty of evaporation :( 

but 1000x's more efficient then pc fans 

 

Take off the bottom section (normally unscrews in the centre of the neck) 

and simply place on top of tank :) 

(you can also freeze wet/damp

tea towels/towels) 

 

Common pedestal fan

1,000,000x's faster then pc fans 

have your pre aged water handy as it will evaporate a fair bit  :) 

enjoy 

Edited September 2, 2015 by 2OFUS

[ShrimpFan]

Ha Ha!!

Effectiveness: 5/5

Aesthetics: 1/5

[2OFUS]

yeah it's not the prettiest design but works a treat :)