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Pod Your Reef

my "CUSTOM"SeaLife 20" MH retro conversion


KrackerG

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Hey all! Just an update...my 20" CCSL has doing great everything is running just the same. I got the Catalina HQI 10KK installed...been working fine. Still growing Coraline algae...I have zero corals, no fish, just 7 hermits, 1 starfish, 2 snails, 1 emerald crab, and approx. 10, 851 pods!:P

 

Mai-- algae problems? may want to look at other varibles...water conditions?...are you using RO water?? Anyways, pics of my tank are lacking in liveliness: ...not very interest. YET. I will be coral shopping soon...sooonnnnnn! Then posting pics here:) and lastly, AROMATS ARE TOO BIG FOR IN HOOD INSTALL.

 

warpcore8-- get glass glass. or high heat whatever. just go to lowes and buy $6 glass or ANYTHING ELSE... besides the stock plastic which will melt i'm sure. the MH bulb is sitting less than an inch from the glass (plastic)...:|

 

beermu-- show us your "goods" when your done!! :P

 

barkingoyster-- go for it! I think the drilling (reflector and powercord) is where you want to measure twice before cutting. Chopping up the perfectly good light was somewhat painful to do mentally...but oh well!!!

 

Buddha-- PM is full as usual??? LOL! email sent...ballast already boxed w/ a blue LED fan. Glad you finally got it...cant wait to see it when it's modded! I'm sure you can see that blank place in the center "calling" for a MH:D

 

Heres a pic of my timer block...

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my timers are set like this...10 hour (+1) photoperiod:

 

12:00pm fans on

12:15pm rear actinic on

12:30am front actinic on

1:00pm MH on

9:15am rear actinic off

9:30pm front actinic off

10:00pm MH off

10:15pm fans off

11-12 moon

 

...30" CSL twin metal halide should be up tomorrow...:P

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Reefer_Buddha

i noticed last night while my light was on that the fan never turned on. Is it a temp regulated fan? Im hoping its not disconnected. If there's a separate switch i didnt see it.

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Buddha- Did you have both lights on? The fan is wired to be on when either the front or back light is on (can't remember which). Generally you will want to figure out which socket that is and put your actinic bulb in that one (assuming you're going to start and end your photoperiod with actinics). That way your fan will always be on during the photoperiod.

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Reefer_Buddha

not sure just got it last night. Its the stock fan that came with the hood, it doesnt really matter since ill be replacing it, just wonder about the wiring and if its gona happen with a new fan.

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Originally posted by beermu

Buddha - That's odd.  I know that for my 20" CSL, it is NOT temperature controlled.  It's on when the actinic switch is on, and off when it's off.  Has the fan ever turned on?  Sounds like there could be a bad connection or a dead fan.

 

I have two of these fans on order to replace the factory fan:

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=...26&loc=101&sp=1

 

 

Do these fanshave their own power source?

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Reefer_Buddha

no, those fans, like most computer case fans, have to be wired into a power source. You can hack up a molex connector and make it work i think...not sure on the dc/ac conversion.

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Originally posted by Reefer_Buddha

not sure just got it last night. Its the stock fan that came with the hood, it didn't really matter since ill be replacing it, just wonder about the wiring and if its gona happen with a new fan.

 

My fan didn't work when I got it either.

Check and see if the wire that goes to the PC is laying against the fan. That is what was wrong with mine. I moved the wire over and the fan worked

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Originally posted by Mai

My fan didn't work when I got it either.  

Check and see if the wire that goes to the PC is laying against the fan.  That is what was wrong with mine.  I moved the wire over and the fan worked

 

LOL! MINE TOO!!:P

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  • 2 weeks later...

hey mai, yes and no.

 

the stock fan is 120 volt. the fans I (we) have used are 12v computer case fans requiring 12v or less power. if you can find 120v 3" fans (not hard to find but no easy) then yes, you could wire them in to come on w/ the PC. but IMO, 12v fans are better, can be found anywhere, cheaply priced, and should be much quieter than a 120 volt fan:)

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actually - if someone could show exactly how you wired the computer fans that'd help. There are soooo many times I wanted to do that. Sorry - I skipped some of the 8 pages of this thread. :D

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wire up the 2 wires ...positive and negative...red and black...

 

you need a power supply...small wall box jack simular to the one the comes w/ the hood powering the moonlights. I am using a 9vdc 600mAh but any 12vdc and lower should work. The lower the volts, the slower/quieter the fan will be. mAh...add up the fans...mine are 0.17mAh soooooo.... anything 340mAh or above will spin the fans.:)

 

how about going back and reading the 8 other pages...you prob will have all your questions answered:P

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doh, sorry 'bout that - I did read a lot of it. :D The power transformer was the missing link. I'll dig around my computer parts for a spare that'll fit the bill....

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I'm so tempted to do this to my CSL 20''. But, I'm scared KrackerG, I'm scared! I damn near burned the house down trying to add a dimmer to the 120v fan (before I took the MUCH easier 12v route), so I'm not sure it's safe for me to handle this! :D

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eeeeeewwwww, i hear ya...well your not alone, trmiv. An electical fire is not pretty???

 

others have sent me their hoods for me to do the mods...I got 2 right now, sitting in my living room, that I need to get MH modded(finishing 'em as soon as I get off this computer!)

email me at KrackerG@yahoo.com if you need more info...:) Or better yet, got any electrician friends??

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Reefer_Buddha

scared? Of what? geez this is the simplest mod there is for halide. Its practically a no brainer. If you can wire a ballast then youre set. Wiring in a dimmer for 120v is harder than this is. But if you wana be a PC man your whole life go for it. Us with halide will sit back and watch the shimmer :P

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