Coralife Compact Florescent fixture noisy

Hi all,

The other night I was trying to replace the bulbs (straight 4-pin 65
watt) and the endcaps pretty much crumbled in my hands. I have found
replacement endcaps on-line. In the meantime, I went back to my old
tube florescent bulbs. The tubes were silent as compared to the
compact fixture. I'm sure it is the fans.

1) Is it normal for the fans to make that much noise. They are
similar to computer fans, which also make some noise.

2) Would I be crazy to just remove the fans - would the bulbs get too
hot and create all sorts of dangerous problems.

3) Any suggestions for quiet lighting - looking for 110+ whats for my
54 gallon Corner tank. I'm thinking about looking into an LED
fixture, but my guess is that they are pricey.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.