How do I get this fan to fit?

Bars · Oct 16, 2020

My Aqua Medic light has a loud fan and me being overly sensitive for aquarium noise, that sound needs to go. I ordered this computer fan, the fan itself fits fine, except for the little plug. It's twice the size of the original fan's plug and has 3 wires instead of 2.

Is there any way I get this thing to fit?

Paul B · Oct 16, 2020

Yes as long as the two fans are the same voltage. Use a paper clip or thin wires and connect the fan a few different ways. You probably won't need the center wire on that 3 wife configuration so connect using a temporary wire the two outer wires from the 3 wire plug to the two wire one. (Ignore the center wire)That usually works as I have quite a few fans working like that.
Check that the fan is going the right way. You may have to connect the wires opposite to change the direction as those fans are DC and can go both ways.

If that doesn't work, try using diferent wires from the 3 wire plug but it's usually the center wire that is not needed for what you are doing.

jgirardnrg · Oct 16, 2020

You have a 3 wire fan trying replace a 2 wire fan. You can always splice the wires with the old fan leads. On the 3 wire it's usually the outside 2 wires that supply power and the middle wire is PWM. You'll have to check that the fan is spinning the correct way and, if not, reverse the wires.

jgirardnrg · Oct 16, 2020

@Paul B beat me to it.

Bars · Oct 16, 2020

Thanks guys! I'll give it a try in a bit, will report back

Bars · Oct 18, 2020

Alright, got it in. Unfortunately, it's nowhere near as silent as I was hoping. Still less loud than the original fan though, so at least it's an improvement.

Is it normal to be able to very, very clearly hear it blowing if I'm standing about 10 feet away? The light itself is very compact (Aqua Medic Qube 50), thus the fan is small as well. Am I expecting too much?

Paul B · Oct 18, 2020

It is normal and yes you are expecting to much. If you can hear it from 10' away, it is a powerful fan

Bars · Oct 19, 2020

Okay, I'm stubborn. Just took the fan out and turned the light back on. Fan is pretty much completely silent. As soon as I place it back inside the housing, the noise is back.

Inside the light is this sort of grate, not sure what to call it. It's screwed on the lens (which actually stays in place when I remove the grate) and the fan is screwed on top of the grate. If I remove the grate, the noise is mostly gone. Any ideas what the exact purpose is of this grate? Would it cause any problems if I were to remove it and figure something out to place the fan on?

Paul B · Oct 19, 2020

You can remove the grate. it's to keep flies and bugs from getting in. Don't worry about it.

ReefBeta · Oct 19, 2020

Bars said:
Okay, I'm stubborn. Just took the fan out and turned the light back on. Fan is pretty much completely silent. As soon as I place it back inside the housing, the noise is back.

Inside the light is this sort of grate, not sure what to call it. It's screwed on the lens (which actually stays in place when I remove the grate) and the fan is screwed on top of the grate. If I remove the grate, the noise is mostly gone. Any ideas what the exact purpose is of this grate? Would it cause any problems if I were to remove it and figure something out to place the fan on?

That's the heatsink. You absolutely need to keep it, otherwise the led may overheat and fail. The noise is from the air resistance, not the fan. If you need it quieter you will want a fan with lower cfm.

Bars · Oct 19, 2020

zsxking said:
That's the heatsink. You absolutely need to keep it, otherwise the led may overheat and fail. The noise is from the air resistance, not the fan. If you need it quieter you will want a fan with lower cfm.

I see, I'll leave it in.

Took a quick vid to show what it sounds like, since something being loud is very subjective. Imagine it 10 times worse. Is this still a normal amount of noise for this size light/fan? This is with the new fan.

Sorry for the nagging, tank noises drive me insane, so I want it to become as silent as possible.

Paul B · Oct 19, 2020

zsxking said:
That's the heatsink. You absolutely need to keep it, otherwise the led may overheat and fail.

If it's the heatsink, yes you need it. I can't tell from the picture, I thought it was just the grill.

ReefBeta · Oct 19, 2020

Bars said:
I see, I'll leave it in.

Took a quick vid to show what it sounds like, since something being loud is very subjective. Imagine it 10 times worse. Is this still a normal amount of noise for this size light/fan? This is with the new fan.

Sorry for the nagging, tank noises drive me insane, so I want it to become as silent as possible.