# And enclosed air circulation system YOU can make!



## warner (Jul 6, 2009)

I have found so much useful information on here. The following is a detailed set of instructions on something I built. It would be easy to make modifications to fit your specific needs. Hopefully some of you will find this useful.

Since I wanted to have some plants in my viv that require some air movement, I wanted to build an air circulation system (2 of them actually…one for each side of my split 55 gallon tank). I’ve seen several builds that use PC processor fans, and since I work in IT, there is no shortage of small fans laying around at my work that would otherwise end up in the garbage. I use two 12 volt fans from some old HP server power supplies for this build. What always seems to be the issue is how to shroud the fans to duct the air. I’ve seen several difficult to duplicate builds, but I wanted to come up with something easy to build and easy to duplicate. Here’s what I came up with:

Here are all of the parts laid out on the floor. All of the straight pieces are simply short sections of PVC pipe that act as connectors for two other pieces – all of this is 2” except for the bottom 2 pieces on each side, which are a 1 ½” street elbow and short piece of straight pipe. The pieces just above those are 2” to 1 ½” adapters.










Here is the real heart of this system…what amounts to the fan shroud. It is comprised of a 3” to 2” reducer which my fans fit into well – this size reducer would work with several different fan sizes, as long as they aren’t too thick. What holds the fan in place is another piece that is designed to fit inside of a 3” piece and reduce it to 2” (Sorry that I don’t know the correct plumbing terminology for this piece). What it does for our build is hold the fan in place, and pretty much self-centers it as you can see in the following photos:




















Once you’ve checked the fitment of your fan, you’re going to want to drill a small hole in the 3” to 2” reducer, for your fan’s power wires to route through. After the entire system is built, you can put a small blob of silicone over the wires to completely seal it off. I drilled the holes for mine on the angled part of the reducer, as seen in the photos below.






































Once you are satisfied with the fitment of the fan, you can cement the circular piece inside the reducer, which will hold the fan in place permanently. Make SURE it’s how you want it to be, because once its cemented, it’s in there for good…until it fails at some point down the road. When you test fit the circular piece, you will notice that because of the thickness of your fan, the piece feels rather loose. This is because the PVC pieces are a taper fit and since the fan prevents them from seating all the way the fit isn’t tight. The PVC cement should make up for this when you cement it together though, so don’t panic. BEFORE cementing, make sure you are putting the correct end in first on the circular piece! In the first photo below it shows the side that you want facing outward. The second photo below shows what the other side looks like so you’ll know what piece you are looking for at the big orange or blue store.






































After you are satisfied with the fit of everything, you can cement the two pieces together. Make sure you first prime BOTH parts, then apply cement to BOTH parts. This is how you should cement all PVC pieces, but it’s especially important in this case because we are making up some gap between these two pieces. Another tip – once you press the two pieces together, hold them together tightly to keep the fan captive, but also twist the two piece about ¼ turn to make sure you have good coverage and also to promote the melted plastic pieces to bond better. This stuff sets up real fast, so you really only need to hold the pieces together for about 20 seconds, so do it right!















































The good news is that you’re done with the hardest part! Pretty simple, right? Next we will cement one of the elbows on – this will require a small length of 2” PVC that will fit inside of the circular piece and elbow. When preparing to cement the elbow on, make sure to pay attention to the orientation of your fan power wires so they come out where you want them to for your build. Besides the two pieces that we just cemented together to hold the fan in, this elbow is the ONLY other piece that I would recommend cementing until you are POSITIVE about the fitment of the finished piece. You don’t need to cement it for it to stay together – test fit everything in your viv and then test it again. Then and ONLY then would I cement ANY of the other pieces together. Here are some progress photos, basically just fitting the pieces together:






































The last task necessary to complete this side is to put the screen on the end of the elbow (to keep frogs out, of course). This is simply a matter of starting with a piece of screen that is too large for the small piece of 1 ½” pvc that you will push into the elbow. When it’s wrapped in screen, it WILL be difficult to push the piece into the elbow. This is GOOD as it will hold the screen in place well. It doesn’t need to go in very far to be effective, either. I got the piece started, then put the spare piece on the floor and pushed the elbow down onto it to force it in a bit. You will then end up with a piece that looks like this:




















Then simply (and CAREFULLY!) use a razor knife to trim through the fiberglass screen. This is easy as you will use the elbow’s lip as a guide for your knife blade. BE CAREFUL though as the blade will want to slip QUICKLY around that smooth slippery plastic! When you’re done, you should have a clean looking piece like this:




















Now it’s just a matter of fitting the pieces for the other side together (I wouldn’t cement them until you are SURE of the fitment! There, I said it again). Here’s how the pieces all fit together:




















And here is what it will look like fully assembled:











Here is what it looks like installed (mock) on one side of my viv. I didn’t explain it well, but the bottom elbows (1 ½”) come up through the glass and THEN attach to the rest of the unit. It takes approximately a 2” hole through the glass for the elbows to fit. A small bead of caulk around the elbow is advisable to seal it off. Make sure they are angled how you want them to be before you caulk them in place. Obviously, this is an enclosed system. Other thoughts that I had were possibly incorporating some type of valve that could be opened to allow some outside air in if desired. Another idea I had was to plumb in a hose from an ultrasonic humidifier into the pvc on the exhaust side of the fan, which would push the mist into the viv when the humidifier cycled on. That would be easy to add on. Obviously, this is PVC so any number of adaptations could be made to it suit different applications.











Hope this helps someone!

Warner


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Just excellent!

Thanks for posting.

Want some frogs? Make a few of those bad boys and hit up your local frog meets and reptile shows. People will pay or trade for any well made product.


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## Occidentalis (Jul 11, 2009)

Smart move with the reducer!

You could throw some tees in there for plumbing in outside air or a vaporizer (or both). If you wanted to get really fancy you could do gate valves for a mix of outside/ inside air or something as well... I suppose variable fan speed would be easier than having to move a valve.


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## jeffdart (May 21, 2008)

Very nice, what will you do if the fan fails over time. Maybe no cement on the fan housing? Just a thought.


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## Energy (Jul 17, 2009)

Way to go- looks awesome- youv'e made something that will be duplicated many times over!


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## warner (Jul 6, 2009)

jeffdart said:


> Very nice, what will you do if the fan fails over time. Maybe no cement on the fan housing? Just a thought.


You have to cement those two pieces together or the fan won't hold in there. If the fan fails, you're back to the hardware store for another $10 in PVC. No biggie, really. The server fans run for years typically. If one fails, it fails. I'd rather have it fail in this system than some of the ones I've seen with very involved and custom shrouds. That IS one limitation of this design though....it's only good for as long as the fan is good. 

Warner


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## warner (Jul 6, 2009)

Occidentalis said:


> Smart move with the reducer!
> 
> You could throw some tees in there for plumbing in outside air or a vaporizer (or both). If you wanted to get really fancy you could do gate valves for a mix of outside/ inside air or something as well... I suppose variable fan speed would be easier than having to move a valve.


Yeah...I thought about all that, obviously. I think for this version of it, I probably won't put anything else in there. It's just plastic so it's easy to mess around with down the road. I just wanted to get a good design that was easy to build and easy to duplicate for others. I think I've accomplished those goals. It's a 12 volt fan and I've tried it with a 12 volt power supply and with a 16 volt power supply. I'm not sure just how much air you need to have moving....so I'm not sure which one is better. The 12 volt supply seems to move enough air to keep it from being stagnant air though.

Warner


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## warner (Jul 6, 2009)

Energy said:


> Way to go- looks awesome- youv'e made something that will be duplicated many times over!


Cool...that WAS my goal....

Warner


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## jeffdart (May 21, 2008)

warner said:


> You have to cement those two pieces together or the fan won't hold in there. If the fan fails, you're back to the hardware store for another $10 in PVC. No biggie, really. The server fans run for years typically. If one fails, it fails. I'd rather have it fail in this system than some of the ones I've seen with very involved and custom shrouds. That IS one limitation of this design though....it's only good for as long as the fan is good.
> 
> Warner


 
Ok i see, so those are the only pieces you used cement on?


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## warner (Jul 6, 2009)

jeffdart said:


> Ok i see, so those are the only pieces you used cement on?


I would say that those are the only pieces that you MUST cement on. I did the elbow on the one side for now. I didn't do more because after I get my diamond hole saw and drill the holes in the glass, I may have to make slight adjustments to the width of it by changing the size of the long top pipe. You COULD cement it all if you wanted to....and I might....have to see. Actually, they will end up being my "handles" to open the viv glass lid on each side.

Warner


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## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

Very well detailed post, by far the best i've seen to date.
This will certainly be something I'll be looking at making.

What did you use to cut the opening in your lid and slide the apparatus through?
Did you seal it back around the edges of the opening?

Great job.


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## MeiKVR6 (Sep 16, 2008)

Nice job Warner. A little non-toxic paint and it would look like a commercially-made product.


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Mods that I am already dreaming about:

1. Small / thin plastic elbows that allow for the unit to become more of a "backpack" and will allow for use on a baker's rack system where the lighting still has to be tight to the lid top. Make sense?

2. Inlet for a tube connecting an unltrasonic humidifier.

3. Variable speed.


Is PVC available in black?


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## Phyllobates (Dec 12, 2008)

You can get pvc in dark gray (its called schedule 80) but its thicker walled and heavier. You can also get ABS pipe which is black but its hard to find fittings under 1.5". Clear pvc might be cool. hmm.

Awesome job Warner. Phil's right you could sell these things!

Here're some links for piping and such:

US Plastics

Flex PVC

Chris


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## Chris Miller (Apr 20, 2009)

Philsuma said:


> Is PVC available in black?


Plastic Tanks, Plastic Buckets, Plastic Bottles, Labware, Plastic Tubing, PVC Pipe, Plastic Sheet - United States Plastic Corporation ®

Looks like dark gray. Or I guess you could coat the pipe in black silicone and roll it in coconut coir. It will grow java moss/riccia well if you can keep it humid enough (do it with white film canisters) but it might be tough at the top of the tank.


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## warner (Jul 6, 2009)

Ziggi said:


> Very well detailed post, by far the best i've seen to date.
> This will certainly be something I'll be looking at making.
> 
> What did you use to cut the opening in your lid and slide the apparatus through?
> ...


Actually, I just cut some holes into a piece of peg board to show you guys what it would look like installed. I am waiting for a 2" hole saw to be delivered and then I'll (hopefully!) cut 2" holes in each lid - 2 holes in each lid, obviously. The glass shop wanted $15 PER HOLE and even then if they broke the glass while drilling I'd be out...not them. I figured I would try one of the cheap ($9 including shipping) THK diamond hole saws from Ebay. It's a crap shoot, but if it can cut 4 holes it will have saved me $50. And yeah, I will seal it once I am sure the elbows are directing air where I want them to (I'm not sure how I'll know when this is, however...Hahaha!)

Thanks Ziggi,

Warner


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## warner (Jul 6, 2009)

Aurotaenia said:


> Plastic Tanks, Plastic Buckets, Plastic Bottles, Labware, Plastic Tubing, PVC Pipe, Plastic Sheet - United States Plastic Corporation ®
> 
> Looks like dark gray. Or I guess you could coat the pipe in black silicone and roll it in coconut coir. It will grow java moss/riccia well if you can keep it humid enough (do it with white film canisters) but it might be tough at the top of the tank.


I'm sure you could coat it with silicone and coconut coir if you wanted to. Obviously mine is on the outside of the viv. Another option might be to assemble it and then spray paint it with the special plastic paint they make. I've used it on other projects and it works REALLY well. I can't speak to it's toxicity in a viv though.....

Warner


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## warner (Jul 6, 2009)

MeiKVR6 said:


> Nice job Warner. A little non-toxic paint and it would look like a commercially-made product.


Thanks Mike! I wanted to make sure all those plants you're sending me will live! Yeah...I can spray it any color of the plastic specific paint if I want to. I've used it before and it works great. Since the whole thing is outside my viv I should be fine even if the cured paint isn't viv-safe. I would probably opt NOT to paint the pieces that are inside the viv....until or unless I KNEW the paint was viv-safe.

Warner


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## warner (Jul 6, 2009)

Philsuma said:


> Mods that I am already dreaming about:
> 
> 1. Small / thin plastic elbows that allow for the unit to become more of a "backpack" and will allow for use on a baker's rack system where the lighting still has to be tight to the lid top. Make sense?
> 
> ...


All pretty simple mods I think. That's the beauty of using commonly available PVC for the build. There are endless options and the parts are fairly cheap. I'm not completely sure I understand what you mean with number 1. For number 2, you could probably drill a small pilot hole and then screw a fitting into the PVC that a humidifier tube could attach to. For variable speed, you could get a variable power supply. Although the fan is rated at 12 volts, I tried it with a 16 volt power supply and it moves a LOT more air with the extra 4 volts. It would likely decrease the life of the fan (slightly, in my estimation) but certainly changes the amount of airflow you get. Since I have not seen one of these things in action, I'm not real sure how much air you WANT to have coming out. You certainly don't want it to be like a hair-dryer, right? I'm thinking it should be barely noticeable....just enough to move air around the viv. Right?

Warner


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## warner (Jul 6, 2009)

Phyllobater said:


> You can get pvc in dark gray (its called schedule 80) but its thicker walled and heavier. You can also get ABS pipe which is black but its hard to find fittings under 1.5". Clear pvc might be cool. hmm.
> 
> Awesome job Warner. Phil's right you could sell these things!
> 
> ...


Thanks Chris. I posted the build photos so everyone could build their own. I'd almost be embarrassed to sell them at a profit. But if people wanted them I'd certainly build them. What do you think would be a fair price for one? 

Warner


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## RarePlantBroker (Aug 3, 2008)

Philsuma said:


> Mods that I am already dreaming about:
> 
> 3. Variable speed.


You can always use a variable voltage transformer for your fan(s). Your fan RPM's will vary when you switch between 6, 9, and 12 volts. I usually run my fans on 9 volt, and haven't had any problems with over 2 years of run time.


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

what people seem to be forgetting here is that the airflow of a small CPU fan is drastically reduced when things like reducers, sharp bends, or screen is added. while it may seem negligible the difference is drastic. i have said it before, but high speed/ high CFM fans are a must on set ups like this.

i currently run a circulation system very similar to what you have (i've posted diagrams before) and use a high quality fan with a switchable voltage wall wart. however the fan stays on 12V because i failed to imagine just how drastically the CFM would drop with the slightest resistance. 

also, the elbows in the tank are unnecessary if brackets are installed. its difficult on glass tops, but it gives a much cleaner look. and i agree a low profile helps a lot as well. you seem to be using a larger fan. 40 and 60mm work very well and are easier to disguise. and some black spray paint does the trick. my unit is barely taller than the strip light and painted black so that it really blends in with the hood/ light.

nice work!

when school starts again i will laser cut more brackets and sell them on here in 40mm 60mm and 80mm sizes (if there is interest) it allows for the fan to simply be replaced if failure should occur. 

james


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## Occidentalis (Jul 11, 2009)

There seems to be a trend among chondro keepers to "torch" the PVC to give it a wood brown/ black look. I would highly advise against this. While I have no direct evidence for what happens with PDF's and dioxin (makes me think back to the silicone threads about mold blocker) there is plenty of evidence about the ill effects of dioxin. By burning the PVC you create free chlorine and dioxin... not much... I suppose you could use a sealant or something... but why risk it.

Lowes carries grey schedule 40 PVC for electrical conduit. 

I would just use paint.


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## carbonetc (Oct 13, 2008)

You guys should look into the PVC that they use for central vacuuming systems. It's much lighter and thinner because it's only rated for air, not water (perfect for this), and every time I've seen it it's been gray.

Though they may not make it very small either.


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## warner (Jul 6, 2009)

carbonetc said:


> You guys should look into the PVC that they use for central vacuuming systems. It's much lighter and thinner because it's only rated for air, not water (perfect for this), and every time I've seen it it's been gray.
> 
> Though they may not make it very small either.


It might work...but I highly doubt if they'd have the reducers that are necessary to hold the fan in place. Oh, and another suggestion.....maybe you DON'T have to cement the pieces together after all.....possibly putting a layer of tape on the inside piece would provide enough interference. It would probably take some experimentation, but then the parts could be seperated in the event of a fan failure....


Warner


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## jeffdart (May 21, 2008)

The tape idea sounds like a good idea, that was my only concern easy access.


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## warner (Jul 6, 2009)

jeffdart said:


> The tape idea sounds like a good idea, that was my only concern easy access.


Yeah....DOH! Had I thought of that while I was building them, I would have tried it. I'm pretty sure it would work fine and make the fans themselves replaceable. Oh well. If I have a fan fail, I'll build the next one like that. 

Warner


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Warner,

My "backpack" idea comes from having 8 Bakers racks filled with vivs. The wire racks are pretty tight and each glass viv top is within 3-4 inches of the shoplight fixtures.

There would be no way I could have these fan systems "top" mounted.

I was thinking of the smaller elbows and lines going straight back to the rear of the tank....and the overall fan assembly sitting behind the viv and away from shoplight and bakers rack shelf.


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## jubjub47 (Sep 9, 2008)

Philsuma said:


> Warner,
> 
> My "backpack" idea comes from having 8 Bakers racks filled with vivs. The wire racks are pretty tight and each glass viv top is within 3-4 inches of the shoplight fixtures.
> 
> ...


It seems to me that the best way to get the system that you're looking for would be to make a pvc housing with pvc barbs and plumb the rest with soft plumbing. This would also keep flow higher than with pvc since there are no 90 bends and it's just gradual smooth bends with the hose. This could really be done with just two 90 barbs at the tank top that really should have very minimal flow restriction. Think about it as you would a mistking system with a single nozzle. The only 90's are at the connection into the tank. The fan housing could then be mounted on the back of your rack for each individual viv.


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

james67 said:


> what people seem to be forgetting here is that the airflow of a small CPU fan is drastically reduced when things like reducers, sharp bends, or screen is added. while it may seem negligible the difference is drastic. i have said it before, but high speed/ high CFM fans are a must on set ups like this.
> 
> i currently run a circulation system very similar to what you have (i've posted diagrams before) and use a high quality fan with a switchable voltage wall wart. however the fan stays on 12V because i failed to imagine just how drastically the CFM would drop with the slightest resistance.
> 
> ...


James,

I tried to find your thread, ref above and could not.

Can you please post a few pics of your system?

This is a great thread and should probably evolve into a sticky someday...


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## jeffdart (May 21, 2008)

I drill hole directly in the back of my vivs at different levels. Hides the systems very well. I use electrical pvc fittings to sandwich the glass where holes are drilled. Attached a photo of what the system looks like from inside the viv.


Carlon at Lowe's: 1" PVC Female Adapter

Carlon at Lowe's: 1" PVC Terminal Adapter


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

jeffdart said:


> I use the backpack system formy vivs. Hides the systems very well. I use electrical pvc fittings to sandwich the glass where holes are drilled.
> 
> 
> Carlon at Lowe's: 1" PVC Female Adapter
> ...


Can you post a pic of your entire system as it's set up?


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## jeffdart (May 21, 2008)

I got this idea from sombody here on the board. Same fan housing anyways. This is on my 10g vert and you can kind of see the one on my exo.


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## jeffdart (May 21, 2008)

I think on my next system im going to try warners housing idea because it will be lighter then mine.


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

heres the diagram phil...


james


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Thanks James.

That design looks good as well.

I really do NOT want to drill the back of @ 40 various glass vivs. I still need to keep my rack shelves pretty tight with vary shallow clearance between the shoplight and the glass viv top.

I am thinking of plumbing the fan assembly onto a clear plastic strip at the top rear of the viv......gotta make it work somehow, I really like this idea.


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

phil, 
you could hide the assembly in a cork tube, mount it, then cover with some moss and mount broms, tillys, orchids, etc.

that could actually be a really cool project.

james


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## NickBoudin (Nov 3, 2007)

This is an awesome thread! I made one a while ago when I first started for a 55 gallon and I reduced from like a huge 3" cpu fan to 1/2 and I got about 0 air flow. After gaining experience and working in a hardware store for 2 years I've got some good ideas on how to improve my old design. Seeing this thread only gives me more and more ideas!

And also, to the creator of the thread. Thanks, for the detailed post. Check out the link in my sig to some of my builds on my website!


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## warner (Jul 6, 2009)

NickBoudin said:


> This is an awesome thread! I made one a while ago when I first started for a 55 gallon and I reduced from like a huge 3" cpu fan to 1/2 and I got about 0 air flow. After gaining experience and working in a hardware store for 2 years I've got some good ideas on how to improve my old design. Seeing this thread only gives me more and more ideas!
> 
> And also, to the creator of the thread. Thanks, for the detailed post. Check out the link in my sig to some of my builds on my website!


Thanks Nick. Yeah...too many bends or too much reduction in size and your airflow will drop pretty quickly. After thinking about it a bit, I think on the exhaust side I will probably cut the final elbow down into where it makes its 90 degrees. Reasons for this are party to aid in airflow, but mainly so I can turn it to face the front of the viv to keep the front glass pane clear of condensation.

Warner


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## JDowns (Sep 5, 2009)

Great write up Warner.

One thing you can do to simplify this and make replacing fans easier while still cementing the fittings would be to use a repair coupler. Just grind off the corners of your 60cm fan and you should end up with an 2 1/8 diameter housing. Put a hole in the top and feed through the wiring. The coupler is flexible and the fan will squeeze in and hold it firmly in place. Attach piping on each end and tighten the clamps. Now any time you need to replace a fan all you have to do is remove the coupler. 










You can also get moonlight dimmers to regulate the voltage for under $20 that work well for powering fans at a specific rpm.


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## fleshfrombone (Jun 15, 2008)

I like it. Imagine what you could do on a grander scale with multiple tanks.


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## Rich Conley (Jun 12, 2008)

Occidentalis said:


> There seems to be a trend among chondro keepers to "torch" the PVC to give it a wood brown/ black look. I would highly advise against this. While I have no direct evidence for what happens with PDF's and dioxin (makes me think back to the silicone threads about mold blocker) there is plenty of evidence about the ill effects of dioxin. By burning the PVC you create free chlorine and dioxin... not much... I suppose you could use a sealant or something... but why risk it.
> 
> Lowes carries grey schedule 40 PVC for electrical conduit.
> 
> I would just use paint.


Why not just use some black Krylon Fusion? Its designed for painting plastic, and its non-toxic enough to be used submerged in reef tanks.


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

I LOVE this thread.

they make black PVC pipe..

Plastic Tanks, Plastic Buckets, Plastic Bottles, Labware, Plastic Tubing, PVC Pipe, Plastic Sheet - United States Plastic Corporation ®


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## catman25 (Jul 17, 2007)

is it wworth while to do this type of set up for 15 gl verts? i was thinkin of corp this type of setup for my tanks ....


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## poimandres (Mar 28, 2009)

catman25 said:


> is it wworth while to do this type of set up for 15 gl verts? i was thinkin of corp this type of setup for my tanks ....


Short answer, yes!

I for one believe that closed circulation systems vastly improve the well-being of the vivarium regardless of size. You will notice the difference in the way the viv smells and the health of the plants (particularly if you are keeping orchids). As for the frogs themselves, certain species such as pumilio tend to thrive with a little extra air circulation. See THIS thread for a good discussion on the advantages.


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## postskunk (Jul 19, 2009)

I know this thread started a long time ago but I'm glad it was active recently or I might have missed it. 
So i have all the PVC and 2 fans for it but I'm not sure what to use for a power supply. The fans I bought are a little bigger (4") and so is the pvc to fit. The specs for the fans are 
Rated Voltage 12V
Started Voltage 6V
Rated Current 0.16A
Power Input 1.92W

So all I could come up with was stripping an old cell phone charger but the ones I have are only 5.9V output (and it has a straight line on top of a dotted line which I'm guessing has to do with the current.

Please help I'm Stuck I read threw all the posts in this thread and couldn't find an answer. Also I'm not to great with electrical lingo so example of what to get would be really great

Thanks 
-Matt


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## poimandres (Mar 28, 2009)

postskunk said:


> I know this thread started a long time ago but I'm glad it was active recently or I might have missed it.
> So i have all the PVC and 2 fans for it but I'm not sure what to use for a power supply. The fans I bought are a little bigger (4") and so is the pvc to fit. The specs for the fans are
> Rated Voltage 12V
> Started Voltage 6V
> ...


Hi Matt,

All you need is a 12 volt AC/DC adapter. They run about $10 at electronic stores. You will need to cut and strip the wires to remove the 3-pin connector from the pc fan and cut and strip the wire to remove whatever connector is on the end of the AC/DC adapter. You will be left with 2 wires coming from the adapter and 3 from the fan. Ignore the yellow wire on the fan as it is for sensing fan speed. 

Attach the red and black wires from the fan to the two open wires in the AC/DC adapter. At first just twist the wires from the fan and adapter together. Plug it in. If the fan does not run, you need to unplug it and swap the red and black wires. Once you have the fan running, unlplug it and either solder the fan wires to the adapter wires or twist them together and encase them in electrical tape.

hope that helps.


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

it should run with the wires hooked either way. reversing the polarity will cause the fan to run backwards.

james


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## postskunk (Jul 19, 2009)

Perfect!
thanks Leo and James that's exactly what I needed to know.
-Matt


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## Peter Keane (Jun 11, 2005)

poimandres said:


> Hi Matt,
> 
> All you need is a 12 volt AC/DC adapter. They run about $10 at electronic stores. You will need to cut and strip the wires to remove the 3-pin connector from the pc fan and cut and strip the wire to remove whatever connector is on the end of the AC/DC adapter. You will be left with 2 wires coming from the adapter and 3 from the fan. Ignore the yellow wire on the fan as it is for sensing fan speed.
> 
> ...


Also if you go the AC/DC converter route can you run several fans off these?, I never tried it but was and still am intrigued... 

Thanks, 
Peter Keane


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## poimandres (Mar 28, 2009)

Peter Keane said:


> Also if you go the AC/DC converter route can you run several fans off these?, I never tried it but was and still am intrigued...
> 
> Thanks,
> Peter Keane


Yeah you can parallel wire multiple fans to the same AC/DC converter provided that you remain under the amp limits for the converter. Also, you can use a fan speed controller to plug in multiple fans and control their speeds individually. This is what I run in my rack system: http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/members-frogs-vivariums/53046-project-wall-o-herp.html


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## Peter Keane (Jun 11, 2005)

poimandres said:


> Yeah you can parallel wire multiple fans to the same AC/DC converter provided that you remain under the amp limits for the converter. Also, you can use a fan speed controller to plug in multiple fans and control their speeds individually. This is what I run in my rack system: http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/members-frogs-vivariums/53046-project-wall-o-herp.html


Thank you for this information.. it has been a great help.

oh and by the way.. that link brings me to a great set-up.. you could/should offer your skills for cash or frogs.. 

Peter Keane


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## postskunk (Jul 19, 2009)

Is the ac adapter running to the controller 12v? even though the fans are 12v a peace? I'm still new to running electrical stuff with tanks.
Thanks
-Matt


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## liveforthis (Jul 16, 2009)

How did it work cutting the glass holes? My lids all all glass, no plastic or screen. I like this idea but I am scared I would break the glass.

You said you used a diamond saw? Was it a drill circular drill bit? I have Drilled small holes in my tanks for air flow but not a 2-3". Will you tell me how you did it?


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## warner (Jul 6, 2009)

liveforthis said:


> How did it work cutting the glass holes? My lids all all glass, no plastic or screen. I like this idea but I am scared I would break the glass.
> 
> You said you used a diamond saw? Was it a drill circular drill bit? I have Drilled small holes in my tanks for air flow but not a 2-3". Will you tell me how you did it?


I wish I could tell you. Haha. I never used the glass panels.....or the diamond hole saw that I bought off of ebay. The panels that I mocked-up from pegboard work perfectly...and since I never ended up putting frogs in the enclosure, I didn't have to worry about fruit fly escapes. I have the panels and the diamond hole saw though. I am actually trying (with little effort) to sell the split viv...fully planted and ready to go. If you are interested, let me know. 

Warner


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## liveforthis (Jul 16, 2009)

Also in the pic I only see 1 fan...But at the top of the thread you said you used two. Am I missing one?


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## warner (Jul 6, 2009)

liveforthis said:


> Also in the pic I only see 1 fan...But at the top of the thread you said you used two. Am I missing one?


The 55 gallon tank is split into two vivs. There is one fan per side...

Warner


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## liveforthis (Jul 16, 2009)

OOhh ok so you made two of those setups? 1 fan per thingy though right?


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## warner (Jul 6, 2009)

liveforthis said:


> OOhh ok so you made two of those setups? 1 fan per thingy though right?


Yep....two fan "thingys". Hehehe....

Warner


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## liveforthis (Jul 16, 2009)

I really like your setup but I'm thinking how to drill or cut glass. maybe I could do a system like your with thinner pvc.


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## warner (Jul 6, 2009)

liveforthis said:


> I really like your setup but I'm thinking how to drill or cut glass. maybe I could do a system like your with thinner pvc.


The best way is to build a little "pond" of water using clay on the glass, so that when you drill, the bit is slightly underwater. Make sure to go SLOW and let the water get under the bit frequently...

Warner


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## gold3nku5h (Jul 24, 2008)

if your not introducing any air with that, and simply moving all the interior air, why didnt you just drop in itside the viv?


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## FwoGiZ (Jul 8, 2008)

This post is 2 years old buddy!!!
Your point is valid and there are other DIY like the one on this website glasstropics.com


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## LookinRound (May 1, 2011)

FwoGiZ said:


> This post is 2 years old buddy!!!
> Your point is valid and there are other DIY like the one on this website glasstropics.com


I see no reason for him not to comment on a 2 year old post. That means he was using the search feature and actually trying to find things done before starting yet another post on a topic that has been covered. I've never understood why people always get commented against if they start a new thread on a topic that's been covered yet the same thing happens if they comment on an old thread. There is no winning...


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## FwoGiZ (Jul 8, 2008)

calm down buddy?
where do you see I am "against" him? There are many in-tank air circ module DIY and I forwarded him toward what I beleive to be the best place.

The fact is the guy who made this thread haven't connected for almost a whole year, so bringing this up is quite pointless, but I am not the one who brought this issue up. 

Your post is 100% pointless tho, non topic related.


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