GB2095961A - Aquarium - Google Patents

Abstract

A fish aquarium comprises an open tank 12 upstanding from which is a thin wide column 14 open at the bottom and closed at the top. When a suction pump 16 draws air from the top of the column, water rises up in this from the open tank and returns to the tank which can accommodate all the water from the column if the suction pump is stopped. An inlet 34 to the column is positioned in the lower end of the column so that air enters the column through the inlet when the column is substantially full, so preventing the water in the column from becoming stagnant and so aerating the water. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in and relating to aquariums This invention relates to aquariums for fish and other marine species.

Atypical aquarium consists of an open topped tank having at least one transparent wall through which the fish are visible. Attempts have been made to give aquarium's a more dramatic appearance by shaping the visible parts of the tank in the form of a thin sheet or column so that the fish appear within something akin to the frame of a wall picture. These attempts have been unsatisfactory since the water in that sheet or column rapidly become stale.

The invention has therefore been made with this in mind.

According to the invention there is provided a fish aquarium comprising an open tank and extending up from it an upright column open at its lower end into the tank and closed at its top, the column having an internal cross-section which is relatively wide in width and relatively narrow in depth, a suction pump for withdrawing air at or adjacent the top of the column, and an inlet through the wall of the upright column, the open tank being of sufficient volume that when the suction pump is not drawing air from the upright column the upright column is largely empty of water the tank can contain all the water required substantially to fill the column and when the suction pump requires air from the column the latter will substantially fill with water and the inlet is positioned so that the level of water in the open tank then drops so that air enters the column through that inlet.

Such an aquarium has the advantage that the air which flows in through the inlet when the suction pump is working prevents the water from becoming stagnant and also aerates the water. Therefore fish are able to swim in the region defined by the column. At least one and preferably both of the large faces defining the column are transparent and so fish in the column are readily visible and appear to give the effect of a moving picture within a surrounding frame. In addition means can be provided to support some form of pictorial back-cloth against the rear face if both are transparent so that the fish form a three-dimensional picture in front of the pictorial back-cloth.

The air inlet is preferably of small size so that supply of small bubbles pass from it upwardly through the column. If it is desired to confine the bubbles to a small region of the column this can be achieved by providing an upright tube in the column whose lower end is immediately above the air inlet or alternatively extending the air inlet by means of a tube or the like to within or just below the open end of the upright tube. The use of this tube has the additional advantage that the fish are not disturbed by the flow of bubbles.

An example of an aquarium according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the aquarium; and Figure 2 is an upright section through the aquarium taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

The aquarium 10 shown in the drawings includes an open topped rectangular tank 12, an upright column 14 and an air suction pump 16.

The tank 12 has a base 18 and upright sides 20.

This tank contains water for the aquarium and other conventional items such as stones or gravel plants and possibly an oxygenating air steam. The sides 20 can be transparent or non-transparent.

The column 14 comprises a transparent front face 24, upright side edges 26 and a rear face 28. The latter can be transparent or opaque. If it is transparentthen means may be provided to hold a pictorial backdrop (not shown) against its outer surface so that this backdrop is visible through the front face 24.

The lower end of the column 14 is open and the front face 24 does not extend all of the way down to the base 18. In this way the interior of the column is in communication with the region within the tank 12.

The top 30 of the column 12 is closed and an air outlet tube 32 passes through one of the side edges 26 near the top 30 and is connected to the pump 16.

Near the lower end of the other side edge 26 is an air inlet tube 34 with an upwardly turned leg 36 which is positioned within the lower open end of a large diameter upright oxygenating tube 38. The latter is open atthetop and terminates just below the level of the inlet to the tube 32. The inlet to the tube 34 is positioned above the lowermost limit of the front face 24.

The column 14 need not be fixed to the tank 12 but can merely stand upright on the base 18 although this is not essential.

The tank 12 is initially filled with water to say the level shown by the dotted line 40. The column 14 will not fill with water but certainly some water may enter it. Then the suction pump 16 is turned on and as a result water will be sucked up the column, eventually to the level 42; at the same time the water level in the tank 12 will drop so that it reaches the level shown by the dotted lines 44 when the level 42 is reached. The position of the tube 34 and the relative columns of the tank 12 and column 14 are chosen so that this inherently occurs.

This situation of the water levels 42 and 44 can be considered the steady state operating condition and in this condition as air is sucked from the air space 46 at the top of the column a steady streak of air enters through the now uncovered tube 34 and a stream of bubbles from the tube flows upwards through the tube 38. This condition is also self-stable since if too much air enters the level 42 will drop and the level 44 rise slightly so covering the tube 34 and momentarily stopping further entry of air.

If the pump 16 should fail, e.g. because its electricity supply is switched off, the water in the column 14will drop butwaterwill not overflow from the tank 12 since the volumn of the tank is chosen to be sufficient for this.

The passage of the air bubbles up the tube 38 has the effect of oxygenating the water in the column 14 and also providing a pumping effect to stir and move the water in the column. Thus the water in the column does not stagnate and fish after a short period of acclimatisation swim up within the column and provide an interesting moving-picture effect.

CLAIMS (Filed 12May82) 1. Afish aquarium comprising an open tank and extending up from it an upright column open at its lower end into the tank and closed at its top, the column having an internal cross-section which is relatively wide in width and relatively narrow in depth, a suction pump for withdrawing air at or adjacent the top of the column, and an inlet through the wall of the upright column, the open tank being of sufficient volume that when the suction pump is not drawing air from the upright column and the upright column is largely empty of water the tank can contain all the water required substantially to fill the column and when the suction pump removes air from the column the latter will substantially fill with water and the inlet is positioned so that when the level of water in the open tank then drops air enters the column through that inlet.

2. An aquarium as claimed in Claim 1 in which both of the large faces defining the column are transparent and means are provided to support a pictorial back-cloth against the rear large face.

3. An aquarium as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which an upright tube is positioned in the column, the lower end of the tube being immediately above the air inlet or the air inlet being extended by means of a tube to within or just below the open end of the upright tube.

4. Afish aquarium substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (4)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. period of acclimatisation swim up within the column and provide an interesting moving-picture effect. CLAIMS (Filed 12May82)

1. Afish aquarium comprising an open tank and extending up from it an upright column open at its lower end into the tank and closed at its top, the column having an internal cross-section which is relatively wide in width and relatively narrow in depth, a suction pump for withdrawing air at or adjacent the top of the column, and an inlet through the wall of the upright column, the open tank being of sufficient volume that when the suction pump is not drawing air from the upright column and the upright column is largely empty of water the tank can contain all the water required substantially to fill the column and when the suction pump removes air from the column the latter will substantially fill with water and the inlet is positioned so that when the level of water in the open tank then drops air enters the column through that inlet.

2. An aquarium as claimed in Claim 1 in which both of the large faces defining the column are transparent and means are provided to support a pictorial back-cloth against the rear large face.

3. An aquarium as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which an upright tube is positioned in the column, the lower end of the tube being immediately above the air inlet or the air inlet being extended by means of a tube to within or just below the open end of the upright tube.

4. Afish aquarium substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.