Article for Aquarium Cooling Methods.

[grius]

Great cooling method.

The tools you nead is a pc fan, a short ventilation pipe, a picknick box with a build in cool element in the insideceiling of the cooler. And a plastic box(to house the salamnders or newts in). You can also build a terrarium of wood or glas as long as you have the possibility to saw hole in it. A good way to keep the cold is to isolate the vivarium/plastic tank with foam plates and a dubbel wall to make it look good, if that is necessary will say.

So first saw 2 holes, one in the tank and one in the picknick box. 10cm dimansion pipes should be fine for a 120x120mm pc fan. Here is some pictures that describe how to do.

I have covered the pipe side that will be inside the vivarium with a strong net to prewent escape.

This is how it shall look when the pipe is installed, you could place the pipe higher if you want and that will probably be a better idea for the coold air to spread inside the tank. So that was a misstake i did when build my construction.

Now attach the pc fan inside the freezer infront of the pipe hole. As you can se i use cold boxes to lower the temperature and this works great! As i speak i have 23,7 degrees in my room, and with only those 2 green cold things i get 18,3 degrees inside the newt tank(dimension 70x47x42cm lwxh) and i dont even have the picknick device on! so if i want i could probably lower the temp to 12 degree and maybe more, i dont know. This is if i put it on, place more green/blue things and isolate my box. But have in mind that in hot weather this may be tuff, so many cold boxes is good to have ready so you can exchange.

Overview at the construction.

The only problem with this construction is the noise, so be sure to get your hands on a quite picknick box! this is wy i dont have my on for the moment(im thinking about the sals) But! i have tryed another modell that did not even sound near as loud as this modell does:)

Tell me if it is something you dont understand and i will try to explain.
/Tomas

[Johnny O. Farnen]

Tomas,

Outstanding design (as usual)! I have to ask, are those some of your trademark manufactured rocks in there? I can never tell them apart from the real thing...

For those of you that have need of integrated cooling, this is the man to learn from. I have now seen quite a few of his designs and I will tell you, no one on the web that I have seen, is better at do-it-yourself enclosure environmental control.

A search of the forums will show you even more of his projects.

[grius]

Thanks Johnny, i have tryed some methods thats for sure. Yes that is my faux stones, if you had them infront of you i know you would se that they are manufactured..

I think more people should try to find sulotions on this probleme, how knows, we maybe have a small cooling advice some day that are easy to install and dont take much place?! that would be awsome...have to be a wayhehe.

[grius]

I have to thank you for the good suport you give to my constructions!

[Mark]

Inspirational Tomas!

How cool does it get with the cooling element on? Have you tried leaving the picnic box on for an extended period?

Here's an idea - make the whole enclosure out of a large polystyrene container, as used in the food industry.

[grius]

Originally Posted by Mark

Inspirational Tomas!

How cool does it get with the cooling element on? Have you tried leaving the picnic box on for an extended period?

Here's an idea - make the whole enclosure out of a large polystyrene container, as used in the food industry.

Thank you Mark!

I have had the cooler on hole days with temperatur about 22degrees in my rom with only two cold things in the picknick cooler and got a ambient temperature around 17 degress in the tank with only exchange day and night. But if i isolate as mentioned this will work probably 50% better. But i can look that up later when im moving back after the summer, and the marms are in thier new enclosure.

Will take a look at your tip! se if i find any.
I have thought about this products because they are allready isolated and also have a tap in the bottom.
http://www.freezit.se/nymarinetxtsida.htm
Unfortunally a Swedish site, but it is not hard do find in english.

[RitchieB]

Just a thought, Has anyone thought of using a Pc water cooling rig somehow? A collection of pipes inside (the picnic container) could be cooled with the water cooling rig so that when the air ran over the pipes it was cooled further? Water cooling rigs can also be made quiet.

Just a thought it may have been done or not worth the effort.

[ksc133]

Hi folks

You mean your picnic box has a built-in cooler? Like a fridge? I have never seen such boxes before!
Do you need to put in "ICE packs" for it to cool down the temperature?

[grius]

Originally Posted by ksc133

Hi folks

You mean your picnic box has a built-in cooler? Like a fridge? I have never seen such boxes before!
Do you need to put in "ICE packs" for it to cool down the temperature?

Hello.
Sorry i accidently deleted those pictures from photobucket and more that i have posted to this forum: /

But here is a picture on the picninck lock.

regards.

[collin]

Would it be possible to hook this up to a all glass aquarium?.


-Collin

[ksc133]

What are the 2 blue color things inside?
What does the bottle contain?

Looks very interesting!!!

[grius]

"gcollin"

Well i thinks so, this is another idea i came up with for a friends newt project, but it is a freezer on the pictures.
Freezing question to mr Sludgemunkey.

"ksc133"

It is like small boxes with water in it that you put in the fridge to freeze, and after use them in picknickbox for camping among others, to cool food and so hehe.

[grius]

Originally Posted by ksc133

What are the 2 blue color things inside?
What does the bottle contain?

Looks very interesting!!!

The bottom is free, only a plastic floor.

[John Clare]

Several of your photos are no longer loading. Please attach the photos to your messages here, rather than loading them off photobucket, in order to ensure others in the future can follow what you've done.

[Danny Stammers]

I'm trying to make the same thing, inspired by what you did. Because I bought a 'cheap' unit, the noise of the fans is quite high. I'll try to open the top and replace the fans with silent ones.

[grius]

Originally Posted by John

Several of your photos are no longer loading. Please attach the photos to your messages here, rather than loading them off photobucket, in order to ensure others in the future can follow what you've done.

I have now load up all the pictures i have left on my computer and shall replace them soon in all threads.

"I'm trying to make the same thing, inspired by what you did. Because I bought a 'cheap' unit, the noise of the fans is quite high. I'll try to open the top and replace the fans with silent ones"

That sounds like a way to make it work more silent, tell me the bresult if you try this.

Regards.

[ksc133]

So you have 2 fans for the pinic box? 1 fan on top to drawn air in and 1 fan below to pump out the air to the newts tank?

Just to confirm, this method needs to replace the "ice" daily to work?

Thanks.

[grius]

Originally Posted by ksc133

So you have 2 fans for the pinic box? 1 fan on top to drawn air in and 1 fan below to pump out the air to the newts tank?

Just to confirm, this method needs to replace the "ice" daily to work?

Thanks.

Exactly daily changes, and if you insulate all sides on the tank and also insulate the picknickbox im sure that it will hold coold much longer in the tank.. Also as mentioned i should not place the pipe hole so near the floor as i have done, perhaps 10-12cm higher then on the pictures to get a better air flow

[collin]

[QUOTE=grius;202338]"gcollin"

Well i thinks so, this is another idea i came up with for a friends newt project, but it is a freezer on the pictures.
Freezing question to mr Sludgemunkey.


Thanks for the idea!, would it be possible to make this original design (the one from the thread, that i replied to) with out one of those coolers you showed?, with just a regular cooler and a pc fan.


-Collin

[grius]

[QUOTE=gcollin;202521]

Originally Posted by grius

"gcollin"

Well i thinks so, this is another idea i came up with for a friends newt project, but it is a freezer on the pictures.
Freezing question to mr Sludgemunkey.


Thanks for the idea!, would it be possible to make this original design (the one from the thread, that i replied to) with out one of those coolers you showed?, with just a regular cooler and a pc fan.


-Collin

I actually dont have aclue, but i belive that a picknick cooler if it what you meen? dont have the capacity. Probably you need a fridge to make this work.

Your welcome.