Aquarium pump structure

IN an aquarium pump having a housing with a large diameter upper cylindrical chamber having a top wall containing an aperture, a smaller diameter lower chamber containing an inlet, an outward flare between said lower chamber and said upper chamber, and a tangential outlet leading from said upper chamber, an impeller within said chambers of said housing having a larger portion in said upper chamber and a smaller portion extending downward into said lower chamber, a motor disposed over said housing having a shaft extending through said aperture in said top wall and mounting said impeller, and seal means disposed about said shaft adjacent to said aperture in said top wall;

• the improvement comprising, in combination, an upper portion of said housing including said top wall of said housing and at least part of said upper chamber, a lower portion of said housing extending downward below said upper portion of said housing, mating edges of said upper and lower portions of said housing, a motor mounting element having a top wall containing a central opening and having mounting flanges to which said motor is fixed with said motor shaft extending downward through said opening, skirt elements extending downward about said top wall of said motor mounting element, said top wall of said motor mounting element and said skirt elements nesting about said upper chamber, locking lugs projecting outwards from said skirt elements, and inwardly facing locking lips formed on said lower portion of said housing so that rotating said motor mounting element moves said lugs under said lips fixing said motor over said housing and holding said upper and lower portions of said housing together.