Insane Watercooling Queries

[Chronictank]

Insane Watercooling Queries - fishtank resevoirs

I am starting a new project of insanity by attempting to create a "fishtank pc", using the fishtank (with fish in naturally) itself as the resevoir.
So my queries.
How much water is needed in the resevoir to ensure the equipement stays cool roughly?

How "clean" does the water have to be before there are problems cycling it?

Are there any other things i should be looking out for?

I am a complete water cooling noob and havent even considered it before now

Thanks in advance

 

[Chronictank]

I think the amount of copper in the loop kills the fish.

Tom

you can get filters to fix that .
The main thing that concerns me is the ammount of heat and the speed of the flow of water needed to sufficiently cool a CPU

 

[Chronictank]

Thought up another question, in a watercooling rig most people put in coolant,
what are the implications of not putting this in?
Bear in mind i am not overclocking this is simply to see if i can make it

 

[Chronictank]

i was actually thinking of circulating the water in the fishtank,

Fishtank - > Water Filter -> Radiator -> CPU -> Copper Filter -> Inverse Filter(to cool water) -> Dissolve Current -> Fishtank

That way the coolest water is at the CPU which in turn heats it

 

[Chronictank]

fish dying depends on the temp in the resevoir, which is what i am trying to figure out how hot the water going into the system needs to be. Goldfish are pretty resiliant creatures, so if i can keep the water temp at 30oC they should be fine
You can get copper filters
http://www.southbroadwaytropicals.com/ItemPages/FilterMedia.htm

Algae and Bacteria will never reach the cpu cooling block as i will use a filter to remove it so that is not an issue, for example using:
http://www.theaquariumshop.co.uk/eheim-2222-external-filter-o-43.html


Ah well something to try in the future, atm its far too costly for a mess about

 

[Chronictank]

just stick to having a couple of goldfish, they will probably die anyway!!

goldfish dont die unless your doing something REALLY wrong
like.. erm. modding their fishtank into a cpu cooler ^^

 

[Chronictank]

putting them in a closed loop or 2 chambers kinda remove the challenge of it all (may aswell just have a fish tank suspended in the middlle of/in front of a transparent case).
As for the endless drivvel about it being "inhumane", i havent actually done it, i was looking at the logistics (sp?) of doing it and whether it would be feasible. This is a forum for discussing how technically possible things are, not the moral implications.

What annoys me about the responces in this thread are the people who dont even read the posts before theirs subsequently posting things that have already been answered, but what can you do.

Answering a couple more new questions, i would like to clarify i was not going to use tropical fish.

This is a bloody idiotic idea full stop!!! Goldfish do not like high temperatures. 30 degrees will kill them, and they prefer around the 15 degree mark.

Hence the second radiator to cool the water as it leaves the loop, as said above

If you go ahead with this then the fish will be subjected to varying temperatures, which will kill them,

See above, the tank temperature will be regulated

not to mention metal poisoning which will also eventually kill them.

There are filters to remove the metals from the water, as said above

Fish need specific water conditions to survive such as the correct balances of GH, KH, PH, Low, preferably zero levels of Nitrite, Nitrate, Phosphate and Ammonia all of which are by products of the nitrogen cycle as a result of fish waste and waste food.

Good point i didnt think of, but i was talking to a guy in a pet store and was told you could get chemicals to keep the balance right.

Forget about it. It would be inhumane.

No more inhumane than keeping 4 tanks a fish if i get it right, far as the fish are concerned it is no different from keeping a fish in a bowl.

just stick to having a couple of goldfish, they will probably die anyway!!

I own 10 already, been 4 years and they arent dead yet
Not that it is relevant

But you will be glad to know i am not going to persue this project, not matter how interesting it is as the cost to do it properly is in excess of £500 in terms of filters, purifiers, etc etc.
Little bit too much for a side project

 

[Chronictank]

This is adding chemicals to the water.. wont the chemicals go inside the loop and possibly damage the loop in some way... or am i being silly? sounds logical though

far as i understand it, the filters will remove all the fishy goodness they need, as a result because the water is "pure" the fish will eventually die.
The chemicals put that back into the water, making the design very expensive to maintain as you would have to add chemicals every week to keep the balance right.