Help with getting a fan operational

Ok so i have this little cpu fan im going to use to vent my grow box, but i cant get it to work. It has 3 wires (black red white). I know the black is - and red is + but what doed the white do? Also, how can i get it to run ( ive hooked up red and black to a battery but it wontstart without the white)... Any help needed/wanted on this.
MVNugs

the white is the ground. have you matched the voltages on fan and battery? could use an adapter with right voltage plugged into wall socket

What does ground mean? How should i hook it up? And i didnt match the power, just used an AA

crap! just used AA battery and expected it to work? check the fan voltage, then get some adapter that operates that voltage, plug it in wall socket, wire the red and blue, forget about the white.

No need for sarcasm, im not electrically blessed.. The sticker on the fan says 8.5V = DC and 0.55A. What does this mean about getting it to run on batteries? I have it whirring on 2 1.5V D2 cells. How long would those last me?

couple hours, maybe a day lmao

Then what would you recommend to keep it going (other than a outlet)

the only realistic thing to do is to use an outlit.
1. Batterys wont last too long and 2. Batterys get expensive quick

What you need is to put a molex connector on the end of the fan and get one of these http://www.coolerguys.com/840556088776.html im using it with a few computer fans and it works great. i would get a 120mm fan if you buy this. This way you dont have to wire anything and you know what the cfm of the fan is you will spend max $40

Shit well i got one of those cords ( one emd AC one end has 2 holes kinda like DC i guess) and managed to fry the fan instantly.

ahahahahaha sorry man that gave me a big laugh... dude although im laughing but playing with electric is no joke. when you get the A/C adapter you should match the voltage but IMO why the fuss, small fans are not pricey get one that's made to plug in and turn on. also make sure fan matches your room size

Get an outlet adapter of the same output current type (ac or dc), in your case DC. Make sure the voltage on your adapter is equal too or less than that of your fan, but not too much less or it won't be to powerful. Also, make sure the amperage on the adapter is NOT less than your fan's amperage, but you don't want this too much higher. I wouldn't go above one amp on the adapter for most pc fans. Make sure to get an adapter with wires that work with your +, -, and ground.

.55 amps=550mA or miliamps