Self-contained aquarium system

In a self-contained aquarium system, a tank for containing water and having a bottom wall and side walls, a first dividing wall disposed within the tank and forming a main compartment in the tank and an equipment compartment within the tank, a second dividing wall disposed in the equipment compartment and dividing the equipment compartment into a secondary filtering compartment and an air lift compartment, a filter grid disposed in the main compartment of the tank and providing a filter surface spaced above the bottom wall of the tank, primary filtering means carried by the filter grid, said first dividing wall having an opening therein to permit the flow of water from below the filter grid in the main compartment of the tank into the secondary filtering compartment, said second dividing wall in the equipment compartment having an opening therein adjacent the bottom wall of the tank, removable secondary filtering means disposed in the secondary filtering compartment, said secondary filtering means including a filter box assembly, said filter box assembly having a first opening therein adapted to be placed in registration with the opening in the first dividing wall in the tank, and a second opening remote from said first opening adapted to be placed in registration with the opening in the second dividing wall in the equipment compartment, and secondary filtering materials disposed within the filter box assembly so that water flowing from the main compartment of the tank through the opening in the first dividing wall and through said first opening in said filter box assembly must flow through the secondary filtering materials therein and then through said second opening and through the opening in said second dividing wall, removable air pump means disposed within the air lift compartment, means establishing fluid communication between the air lift compartment and the main compartment and including air lift means in the air lift compartment utilizing air from the air pump means for supplying water from the air lift compartment into the main compartment of the tank.

In an aquarium system, a tank for containing water and having a bottom wall and side walls, a dividing wall within the tank forming a main compartment and an equipment compartment within said tank, an opening in said dividing wall adjacent the bottom of the tank, a filter grid disposed in the main compartment of the tank and extending over substantially the entire bottom of the main compartment, primary filtering means carried by the filter grid, a removable filter box having an inlet and outlet for containing secondary filter material, said removable filter box being positioned within said equipment compartment adjacent the bottom of the tank with its inlet in registration with said opening in said dividing wall such that water moving through said opening passes into said removable filter box through said inlet and then through the secondary filter material therein to said outlet, air pump means and air lift means disposed within said equipment compartment including means establishing fluid communication between said equipment compartment and said main compartment, an air pump compartment for holding said air pump means, said air pump compartment being free of water an having an air opening disposed above the surface of the water which substantially fills both the main compartment and the remainder of the equipment compartment when the tank is substantially filled with water, said air lift means utilizing air from said air pump means for supplying with water from said equipment compartment into said main compartment.