Fish Tank Media PC

[Karbon Killa]

Well, I have started this thread over in the ideas section not too long ago, and I have started to take it a step further and actually starting on it. It is my senior project for my school. Basically I wanted to make a media center pc that looks very pleasing to the eye, when most people don't even know its there until they look hard enough. I decided I didn't want another silver or black box under my TV. So I figured a fish tank next to it would look nice, and the idea basically started from there.

I started with this 1st drawing.

Then decided I didn't need the LCD off the back because it would be hooked up to my TV. Doh, lol.

Once those were drawn out, I needed to make a shape on how this was going to be, so I started with bringing out 3D sketchup, and got to work. I pumped out this basic first 3D design.

After all of that, I needed to get the tank and start up the cycling of the aquarium. So I bought all of the necessary equipment to get this thing going, and got it up and running.
The tank when I first got it. It is a 26 gallon bow front.

With some stuff (heater, tubing, plants, and chemicals).

There isn't much in it right now other than fish and medicine. But if there was, it would be something like this (most recent picture before fish started getting sick).

Well, as most of you don't know, I need someone in the community to help me with this. Not meaning the area I live in, but just someone out there to help me through the process, and to help to challenge me more and puss my project to the limit but without going overboard. That person is called a community consultant. We have to go out of our ways as seniors and try to find someone willing to take a look at what we want to do, listen to how we think we are going to accomplish it, and give their input. Well I have chosen someone who's company has been on the front page, and he has gladly accepted taking me under his wing, and helping me throughout this whole ordeal. I don't know if any of you guys remember this article, but this guy blew me away when I saw what he did. Here is the article.

Since talking with him, and sharing ideas, my final render on this whole project is basically done. Just some few minor adjustments here and there for it to work. So the drawing board for the project is more than done, now I'm onto the real world part of making this happen. Here are the final renders.

And if you guys are wondering what that big cylinder is hanging off the side of what is supposed to be the "tank", is it an enclosed passive res that will have water from the fish tank flowing over it to keep the water cooling system cool. And if that isn't enough, there will also be a 120mm danger den black ice radiator used if need be. Here are some x-ray shots of the passive res enclosure.

On the longer tube that is going into the tank, there will be a pump that flows the water upward and into the top of the cylinder, and that water will then flow downwards over the fins of the passive res, and hopefully cool the coolant down effectively. I am really getting into this project. All comments and constructive criticism is wanted here. I am wanting as much help as I can get here. So guys, tell me what you all think.

[sloppyc]

I actually had a similar idea after seeing some mineral oil PCs.

Consider abandoning the water cooling and filling the tank that the PC sits in with mineral oil? It would look like the fish were swimming around your computer's internals from the front. Especially if you have some fans spinning to put some bubbles in the oil.

[Karbon Killa]

I thought about it, but my consultant wanted to see me try it with the liquid cooling, and such. Also, there is another kid in my class that is doing the mineral oil thing, so that idea is down the drain.

[billygoat333]

this is pretty cool, very nice sketchups. I will be watching this one.

[sloppyc]

Originally Posted by Karbon Killa

I thought about it, but my consultant wanted to see me try it with the liquid cooling, and such. Also, there is another kid in my class that is doing the mineral oil thing, so that idea is down the drain.

All the better. That means if/when I do it, it won't be a complete knockoff


The watercooling is equally interesting, I think. Good luck, looks like a great project.

[Twigsoffury]

Wouldn't you think all the fish "stuff" would pile up in the pump/blocks/radiator?

hope that kid gets the mineral oil with alkylbenzoyl as a listed ingredient.

plain ol mineral oil is a by product of making Gasoline. Mineral oil byitself is Quite Corrosive to non Cr-Steel,Alumnium It rapes copper and I've noticed it obliterates Thermal compounds in a matter of minutes. When he turns it on look around the heatsink and watch silver goop start flowing out from below the heatsinks.

I'd say it would take a couple months or more to start seeing physical Damage to the solder and PCB itself.
Wonder what happens to multi layer PCB like motherboards when the oil impregnates inside the PCB.

oooo shutters. don't try it with your rampage II mobo.

If you really want uber Cpu cooling. Pop The heatspreader off your cpu (yea they pop off with some gentle fighting) and mate your waterblock directly. just use ceramic shims. Direct Die cooling was the thing back with Athlon Xp's But its Extreeeemmmmely easy to chip the cpu itself. That being said the Rewards are great with Direct die cooling.

[Luke122]

Originally Posted by Twigsoffury

Wouldn't you think all the fish "stuff" would pile up in the pump/blocks/radiator?
...
If you really want uber Cpu cooling. Pop The heatspreader off your cpu (yea they pop off with some gentle fighting) and mate your waterblock directly. just use ceramic shims.

I agree with the fish waste gumming up the works, but just to clarify, the water loop for the pc will be using the passive rad which will be cooled by the fish water. So the rad will get "poopy" but the rest of the system is seperate.

I would recommend AGAINST removing the heatspreader from the CPU. I would say that the risk of damage is just too great to justify it, unless it's old hardware, and you are willing to destroy it if something goes wrong.

[Twigsoffury]

Originally Posted by Luke122

I agree with the fish waste gumming up the works, but just to clarify, the water loop for the pc will be using the passive rad which will be cooled by the fish water. So the rad will get "poopy" but the rest of the system is seperate.

I would recommend AGAINST removing the heatspreader from the CPU. I would say that the risk of damage is just too great to justify it, unless it's old hardware, and you are willing to destroy it if something goes wrong.

Agreed. It's crazy dangerous.

Ahhh it explains it. I knew he wasn't crazy enough to send fish water through his stuff.


I bet it will be cool. maybe the fish will hang out by the rad since its warm.

[Karbon Killa]

Haha, yea. No poop in the w/c system, just water running over the rad/res.

I was thinking about doing direct die contact, but never pushed it very far. Every heatspreader that I have taken off of CPUs has always gotten me to scratch the hell out of the processor pcb. So therefor, none of the experiments I have tried with that, have always turned out to be keychains in the end. lol.

[Twigsoffury]

Originally Posted by Karbon Killa

Haha, yea. No poop in the w/c system, just water running over the rad/res.

I was thinking about doing direct die contact, but never pushed it very far. Every heatspreader that I have taken off of CPUs has always gotten me to scratch the hell out of the processor pcb. So therefor, none of the experiments I have tried with that, have always turned out to be keychains in the end. lol.

if you look around just hard enough theres a small company that spits out Ceramic shims for Athlon xp P4 on up. There about 35-40$ (each one is hand cast) but it solves the problem of chipping the cpu.

Lazy man way out that i've seen is a piece of foam. But Ceramic is Very heat conductive (think plate in microwave) but electrictivly resistance. so it's drawing heat off the entire surface of the cpu instead of just the core itself.


Theres some neat new stuff coming out.

look to see new ibm uber cpus ship with direct die water blocks. they said something about not wanting to be cack blocked by aircoolings limitations.

i've heard rumors that intel may also follow suit with there "Extreme edition" cpus. offering some cpus only with intergrated blocks.

Some mighty cool stuff is around the bend.

[edit] I got a cpu keychain to. well actually its a northbridge. But we were busting caps into a old HP and the north bridge went flying off into the air and landed in almost perfect shape not but 10 feet from my feet face up.
Guess it was a sign from computer zeus that i needed to make it a keychain