US 5,647,983 AGranted

Aquarium system

OwnerChristopher A. Limcacoinventor

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Abstract

An aquarium system (10) includes an inlet reservoir (25), an aquarium tank (16) defining a container for water in fluid communication with the inlet reservoir (25) to receive water displaced from the inlet reservoir (25), an outlet reservoir (35) in fluid communication with the tank (16) for receiving water displaced from the tank (16), and a water treatment unit (45) in fluid communication with the inlet reservoir (25) and tile outlet reservoir (35). The water treatment unit (45) includes a rotatably supported media wheel (47) which has a first hollow portion (48) and a second portion (49) carrying a water displacement media (50). The media (50) is alternately submersible into and raisable out of water contained in the water treatment unit (45) as the media wheel (47) is rotated to displace water from the unit to the inlet reservoir (25), to thereby cycle water through the system. In one embodiment, the displacement media (50) is a biological media. In another embodiment, the media wheel (47) carries an algae screen (70) on its perimeter.

Claims16

Dependent claims

An aquarium system, comprising:

an inlet conduit;
an aquarium tank defining a first container for water, said tank in fluid communication with said inlet conduit to receive water displaced from said inlet conduit;
an outlet conduit in fluid communication with said tank for receiving water displaced from said tank;
a water treatment unit defining a second container for water, said second container in fluid communication with said inlet conduit and said outlet conduit, and including,
a media wheel rotatably supported in said water treatment unit, said media wheel being divided into two portions, a first portion of said two portions being hollow, and a second portion of said two portions carrying a volume of displacement media, said displacement media being fixed within said second portion so that said media in said second portion is alternately submersible into and raisable out of water contained in said water treatment unit as said media wheel is rotated, said media wheel defining means to alternately
displace a volume of water from said unit to said inlet conduit and into said tank when said displacement media is submersed and
allow the volume of water to flow from said tank to said outlet conduit and into said unit to fill said hollow portion when said displacement media is raised from water in the unit,
to thereby cycle water through the system;
and
means for rotating said media wheel.

7 more elements

A water movement device for an quarium system comprising an aquarium tank and a treatment unit, said device comprising:

an outlet conduit fluidly communicating with the aquarium tank to receive water displaced from the aquarium tank;
an inlet conduit fluidly communicating with the aquarium tank to deliver to the aquarium water displaced from said inlet conduit;
said treatment unit in fluid communication between said outlet conduit and said inlet conduit, and including,
a media wheel rotatably supported in said water treatment unit, said wheel being divided into two portins, a first portion of said two portions being hollow, and a second portion of said two portions carrying a volume of displacement media, said displacement media being fixed within said second portion so that said media in said second portion is alternately submersible into and raisable out of water contained in said water treatment unit as said wheel is rotated, said media wheel defining means to alternately
displace a volume of water from said unit to said inlet conduit and into said tank when said displacement media is submersed and
allow the volume of water to flow from said tank to said outlet conduit and into said unit to fill said hollow portion when said displacement media is raised from water in the unit,
to thereby cycle water between said unit and the aquarium tank;
and
means for rotating said wheel.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.