JPH0345581Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a water purification device for fish and shellfish preserves and aquariums (hereinafter simply referred to as "aquariums"). This relates to equipment that sterilizes and purifies food.

The water purification device according to the present invention can be used whether the aquarium water is freshwater or seawater, and can therefore be used in ornamental aquariums for freshwater fish, aquariums for fish farming, aquariums for transporting live fish, fish cages onboard fish boats, etc. It can be used for purification.

(Prior art and its problems) Water purification in this type of aquarium has conventionally been carried out using a filter. Generally, a filter used for this purpose is constructed by layering filter media such as a net, small gravel, and rough sand inside the filter. Usually, aquarium water is guided in a free-fall manner to a filter like the one above and treated.
This treated water is returned to the aquarium by a pump and discharged into the aquarium water. However, uneaten food and waste feces gather at the bottom of the aquarium, and as these are also led to the filter, the filter medium in the filter becomes clogged, causing the filtration effect to decrease prematurely, and the aquarium also gets clogged. Since the top is open to the public, bacteria can easily enter the tank from the atmosphere and cause bacteria to grow inside the tank.

Especially when the aquarium water is seawater, bacteria develop quickly and algae grow, and even if a filter is used, the aquarium water turns reddish-brown in about two months.

Therefore, in order to maintain good water quality, it is necessary to replace the filter media relatively frequently, which requires labor and increases costs. Although filters are equipped with backwashing devices to clean the filter media, simple backwashing cannot completely eliminate bacteria and algae spores; It was not possible to significantly reduce the frequency of filter media replacement.

On the other hand, it is a well-known fact that water can be purified by ultraviolet irradiation, and for small aquarium fish tanks, an ultraviolet lamp is installed above the water surface of the tank and the ultraviolet rays are directed toward the water surface. However, such measures have not been applied to large-scale fish tanks, for example. However, recently, ultraviolet irradiation devices that seem to be applicable to large aquariums have become commercially available (for example, "I Clean Pier" manufactured by Iwasaki Electric Co., Ltd.). This device has a T-shaped branch pipe installed in a part of the water circulation pipe that uses a pump to pump up aquarium water and discharge it back into the aquarium.
The upper end of the branch pipe pointing upward is opened, a tube with a built-in ultraviolet lamp is placed above it, and a part of the surrounding air is ozonized by lighting the ultraviolet lamp.
The partially ozonated air is sucked and introduced into the circulating water by the negative pressure generated by the circulating water flowing through the branch pipe section, and the circulating water is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to purify the water. However, in this device, the time during which the circulating water is irradiated with ultraviolet rays is extremely short, so the water purification effect of ultraviolet irradiation itself cannot be expected to be sufficient, and the forced introduction of ozonated air causes problems in branch pipes. The system relies exclusively on the negative pressure produced by the flowing circulating water, and therefore it is necessary to appropriately set the water pressure within the water circulation pipe, but the problem is that this adjustment is extremely troublesome.

(Purpose of the invention) Therefore, the basic purpose of the invention is to provide a water purification device that purifies water in an aquarium by irradiating ultraviolet rays, and can be used in both small and large aquariums.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a water purification device that effectively uses irradiated ultraviolet rays to reliably sterilize and purify water, and in particular, in the case of seawater, prevents the growth of algae spores and kills them. There is a particular thing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water purification device that can collect and remove suspended solids existing in water.

(Means and effects for solving the object) According to the present invention, the above object is to provide an apparatus for purifying the water in the aquarium by being disposed in an upright or substantially upright state in a fish and shellfish preserve aquarium. an outer cylinder having an open end and an opening on the upper side surface; an inner cylinder disposed within the outer cylinder and having an open upper end and a closed end; the inner cylinder is made of an ultraviolet-transparent material; An inner tube is attached to the outer tube in a liquid-tight manner to the aquarium water, a cylindrical ultraviolet lamp is placed inside the inner tube, and a compressor is placed near the lower end of the outer tube. This is achieved by a water purification device for a fish and shellfish preserve aquarium, which is characterized by comprising a member connected to the outer cylinder and generating bubbles in the aquarium water inside the outer cylinder.

In the water purification device according to the present invention, there are at least two openings formed in the upper side surface of the outer cylinder, one of which is located below the water surface of the aquarium water, and the other is located approximately at the water surface of the aquarium water. . Among these openings, the former serves as a discharge port through which the rising water flow generated inside the outer cylinder as air bubbles rise from the air bubble generating member flows out, and the latter serves as a discharge port through which air bubbles from the air bubble generating member adhere as they rise. It serves as an outlet for guiding suspended contaminants floating in the water to the outside of the aquarium.
The inner cylinder can be made of quartz or quartz glass, etc. If it is made of such a material, about 95% of the ultraviolet light emitted from the ultraviolet lamp will be transmitted and projected into the water. It can be used to sterilize and kill algae spores. The outer cylinder can be made of opaque synthetic resin such as vinyl chloride, so that the air bubbles rising inside the outer cylinder are not visible to the fish in the aquarium and cause unnecessary surprise to relatively nervous fish. It is preferable not to give. A deflection guide is provided on the inner surface of the outer cylinder, either integrally with the outer cylinder or separately, to direct the air bubbles rising inside the outer cylinder to the center of the outer cylinder, especially those rising close to the inner cylinder. It is preferable to improve the ozonization rate of the air inside the bubbles by the ultraviolet lamp. As an ultraviolet lamp, commercially available ultraviolet germicidal lamps such as 10~
A 40W one can be used. The total length of the UV lamp is 300mm for 10W and 500mm for 15W.
mm, 700 mm for the 20W type, and 1200 mm for the 40W type, so the length of the inner cylinder and outer cylinder can be changed correspondingly, and can therefore be adapted to the water depth of the aquarium. The outer cylinder may have a certain length and be connected by fitting or the like. As the bubble generating member, it is possible to use a porous stone body commonly used for introducing air (oxygen) into an aquarium, or a tube body with a large number of pores, such as a ring-shaped tube body.

In addition, in a water tank with a water depth of 400 mm, when the distance from the water surface to the bottom end of the outer cylinder is 370 mm, the length of the UV lamp is 300 mm (10 W), and a bubble generating member is installed near the bottom end of the outer cylinder, the generated air bubbles will take until they reach the water surface. It takes approximately 5 seconds to irradiate water, while the time required for ultraviolet irradiation to purify water is said to be 1 to 2 seconds. It can be seen that the desired purifying effect can be brought about. Even if the water depth is shallow, if the area is large and the amount of water to be treated is large, the water purification device according to the present invention can be used in two ways.
This can be dealt with by installing more than one air bubble, or by using air that has been partially ozonated in advance as the air sent to the bubble generating member.

In the water purification device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the bottom end of the outer cylinder reach near the bottom of the water tank. This is because by doing this, at least a portion of uneaten food, excrement such as feces, and waste materials stored at the bottom of the aquarium will float to the surface due to the convective water rising inside the outer cylinder and be guided into the outer cylinder. This is because they become floating objects and adhere to the rising air bubbles, and can finally be discharged to the outside of the aquarium through the discharge opening formed on the upper side of the outer cylinder.

(Example) Next, an example of implementation of the water purification device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the drawings, the water purification device according to the present invention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 10, and this device 10 is installed in the water tank WT by means of a mounting member FD that is placed over the upper edge of the water tank WT. held in an upright position. The mounting member FD consists of a fixed part FD ₁ that straddles the upper edge of the water tank WT and other movable parts. By loosening the thumbscrew FD ₂ , the movable parts can be attached to the fixed part FD ₁ . By sliding it up and down, left and right, and then tightening the thumbscrew FD ₂ , the movable part can be locked in that position, thus adjusting the distance between the side wall of the water tank WT and the side wall of the water purification device 10. be able to.

The water purification device 10 basically includes an outer cylinder 12 made of polyvinyl chloride resin, an inner cylinder 14 made of quartz glass placed inside the outer cylinder, and an ultraviolet lamp 16 placed inside the inner cylinder. and a bubble generating member 18 disposed near the lower end of the outer cylinder.

In addition, 20 is a 4-pin outlet for the ultraviolet lamp 16, 22 is a 100V input wire cord,
24 is a ballast or transformer, 26 is a glow socket, 28 is an indicator bulb, 30 is a waterproof cap,
32 is a see-through window formed in the waterproof cap 30 for checking the blinking of the display bulb.
Among these, the equipment for lighting the ultraviolet lamp, such as the transformer 24, may be provided separately from the water purification device 10. Furthermore, although not shown, an earth leakage preventer is attached to the electric circuit.

The outer cylinder 12 has an inner cylinder holding member 121 inside its upper part.
The upper side is provided with a first part located at approximately the water surface WL of the aquarium water.
A second opening 125 is formed in a portion of the opening 123 located slightly below the water surface WL of the aquarium water, and deflection guides 127, 127 are provided on the inner surface, either integrally with the outer cylinder 12 or separately. It is provided.

The upper part of the inner cylinder 14 is held by the outer cylinder 12 by rubber O-rings 121a and 121b attached to an inner cylinder holding member 121. On the other hand, the ultraviolet lamp 16 is inserted into the center hole of a flanged rubber cap 141 attached to the upper end of the inner cylinder 14, and its upper part is held by the inner cylinder 14. A rubber O-ring 161 may be attached to the lower part of the lamp 16 to further enhance its holding stability, watertightness, and moisture intrusion prevention effect. The lifespan of the ultraviolet lamp 16 is 2000 to 4000 hours, and it needs to be replaced every 3 to 6 months.
According to the water purification device according to the present invention, first remove the waterproof cap 30, remove the 4-pin outlet 20,
If you remove the rubber cap 141, the ultraviolet lamp 16 will be removed.
Since it can be pulled out, its replacement is extremely easy. Note that the lower end of the ultraviolet lamp 16 and the inner tube 1
A slight gap is set between the lower end of the inner surface of the inner tube 14 and the lower end of the inner tube 14, which collects dew on the inner surface of the inner tube 14, and even if it flows down and accumulates at the bottom of the inner tube 14, it will not come into contact with the ultraviolet lamp 16. (However, although the equipment currently used in the experiment has been used for over 4 months, no moisture has been found to accumulate at the bottom of the inner cylinder.)

The bubble generating member 18 is fitted into the lower end of the outer cylinder 12 and connected to the flange portion 341 of the adapter or socket 34.
It is supported by The bubble generating member 18 employed in this embodiment is a lead ring-shaped tube with many pores and is covered with foamed resin, and is relatively heavy, so no special measures are required. Both can be stably placed. Bubble generating member 1
An air supply pipe 36 made of a suitable material such as vinyl chloride resin is connected to 8, and air is sent from a compressor (not shown) through this air supply pipe 36. It is not necessary for the bubble generating member 18 to have the above-mentioned configuration, and a well-known and commonly used porous stone or any other material capable of converting sent air into bubbles can be used. Of course, if a lightweight material is used as the bubble generating member 18, it is necessary to prevent it from floating, and in this case, the air supply pipe 36 is
This can be dealt with by inserting the adapter into the opening 343 formed in the adapter 34 and then connecting it to the bubble generating member 18.

Next, the water purification device 10 according to the present invention will be explained in terms of its operation and function. First, this device 10:
As shown in the drawing, in a substantially upright state and with the outer cylinder 1
2 is set in the water tank WT so that the first opening 123 formed in the water tank WT is located approximately at the water surface WL, and the second opening 125 is located below the water surface, and then the power source (not shown) is turned on and the compressor ( (not shown) is activated, air is sent to the bubble generating member 18 through the air supply pipe 36, and the bubble generating member 18 is fed into the outer cylinder 12.
At the same time, the ultraviolet lamp 16 is turned on and ultraviolet rays are irradiated into the outer cylinder through the inner cylinder 14. The generated bubbles rise due to their buoyancy, and these rising bubbles cause an upward flow of water in the aquarium water inside the outer cylinder. This rising water flow is directed toward the center by the deflection guide 127, and the rising air bubbles are also directed toward the center accordingly.

As shown in the figure, since the inner tube 14 is disposed at the center of the outer tube 12, the bubbles rise along the inner tube 14 or in a region close to it. Inner cylinder 14
As ultraviolet rays are irradiated from the ultraviolet lamp 16 housed inside, the air in the bubbles rising close to the inner cylinder is gradually turned into ozone, and the ozone produced dissolves in water and exhibits sterilizing power. A portion of the air that has not been ozonated also dissolves in water, increasing the oxygen concentration in the water, and the ultraviolet rays irradiated into the water kill bacteria, algae spores, etc., if present in the water. Dead cells such as bacteria, dead spores, and other floating substances that may exist inside the outer cylinder 12 gradually rise to the surface due to the rising water flow, and adhere to rising air bubbles to reach the water surface inside the outer cylinder 12, and are removed from the outer cylinder 12. At the water surface inside the tube 12, the rising air bubbles are destroyed, creating a bubbling state, and contaminants collect in this area. This can be confirmed by connecting the transparent tube 38 to the first opening 123 of the outer cylinder 12 and seeing that light brown to dark brown foam or liquid enters the tube. It is discharged to the outside by removing the cap 40 attached to the tail end.

Note that the water flow that rises inside the outer cylinder 12 and reaches the upper part of the outer cylinder 12 flows through the second opening 125 formed in the outer cylinder 12.
It is discharged from. The state of this discharge flow can be easily observed by, for example, attaching a thread 42 to the lower end of the second opening, and the state of the discharge flow can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of air supplied to the bubble generating member 18. It can be controlled by A member 129 formed on the inner surface of the outer cylinder 12 and inside the second opening 125 prevents as much as possible the rising contaminant bubbles from being guided from the inside of the outer cylinder 12 to the outside, and also prevents ultraviolet rays from entering the outer cylinder 12. It plays a role as a baffle plate to prevent irradiation to the outside, and by providing this member 129, the first opening 125
The number of bubbles flowing out can be significantly reduced. As water that has been sterilized and purified within the outer cylinder 12 is discharged from the second opening 125, untreated aquarium water flows in and rises from the bottom of the outer cylinder 12 and is similarly sterilized and purified, and this convection causes water to be sterilized and purified. Therefore, the water in the tank WT will be constantly treated. Also, this convection is caused by
It also serves to suction and float lighter wastes and the like deposited at the bottom of the WT to the lower part of the water purification device 10 and further into the outer cylinder 12 for disposal. Of course, most of the substances deposited at the bottom of the aquarium WT and heavy substances are removed from the aquarium WT through the nozzle (not shown) of a cleaning tool connected to a suction device (not shown).
It is removed by suction by scanning it with the bottom surface.

If the seafood raised in the aquarium WT is a small fish, octopus, or crustacean (turban shell, tokobushi, etc.),
Although there is a possibility that the foreign substance may enter the outer cylinder 12 from the lower part of the device 10, this can be prevented by attaching a net to the lower surface of the adapter 34.

(Test example) As a result of breeding saltwater fish, it has a reddish-brown color.
200 samples of waste water, which was found to contain numerous bacteria by microscopic examination, were placed in a separate water tank (400 mm deep). In this aquarium, a water purification device of the present invention with the following specifications was set as shown in the drawing and purification treatment was carried out.The aquarium water changed to sparkling seawater after about 60 hours. Microscopic examination revealed no presence of bacteria.

Head diameter of waterproof cap 30 75 mm Length from water surface WL to lower end of adapter 34 370 mm Ultraviolet lamp 16 10W (300 mm) (Effects of the invention) According to the water purification device of the invention, air bubbles are not generated inside the outer cylinder. When these bubbles rise due to their buoyancy, water convection occurs within the tank, and an ultraviolet lamp irradiates these bubbles and water flow rising inside the outer cylinder, causing a portion of the air in the bubbles to be absorbed. is ozonated, the ozone produced dissolves and exerts a sterilizing effect, and the air that has not been ozonated dissolves in the aquarium water to increase its oxygen concentration, and the ultraviolet rays irradiated to the water may kill bacteria that may be present. and algae spores. Although it depends on the amount of air sent to the bubble generating member, the rising speed of the bubbles is relatively low, and therefore the rising speed of the water flow is also low, so the ozonization rate of the air inside the bubbles due to irradiation with the ultraviolet lamp is high and the water flow is sufficient. It is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, and is sufficiently sterilized and purified while flowing through the outer cylinder. In addition, if there is any floating matter in the outer cylinder, the air bubbles will attach to it and rise, causing it to float as pollutants, and this pollutant will be led out of the aquarium through the first opening formed in the outer cylinder, so it will not be able to maintain the aquarium. It cannot be released again within the body.

Therefore, according to the water purification device according to the present invention, the above-mentioned factors can be combined to purify aquarium water very effectively.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawing is a longitudinal sectional view showing the water purification device according to the present invention placed in a water tank. 10...Water purification device, 12...Outer cylinder, 123...
...First opening, 125 ... Second opening, 127 ... Deflection guide, 14 ... Inner tube, 16 ... Ultraviolet lamp, 18 ... Bubble generating member, 20 ... 4-pin outlet, 34 ... Adapter, 36 ... air pipe,
WT...Water tank, WL...Water surface, FD...Mounting parts.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] (1) A device that is placed in an upright or nearly upright position in a fish and shellfish tank to purify the water in the tank,
an outer cylinder having open upper and lower ends and an opening on the upper side; and an inner cylinder disposed within the outer cylinder, having an open upper end and a closed other end, and made of an ultraviolet-transparent material; An inner cylinder is attached to the outer cylinder so that the inside thereof is liquid-tight with respect to the aquarium water, a cylindrical ultraviolet lamp is placed inside the inner cylinder, and a compressor is placed near the lower end of the outer cylinder. 1. A water purification device for a fish and shellfish preserve aquarium, characterized by comprising a member connected to the outer cylinder and generating air bubbles in the aquarium water inside the outer cylinder. (2) There are at least two openings formed in the upper side surface of the outer cylinder, one of which is located below the water surface of the aquarium water, and the other is located approximately at the water surface of the aquarium water. Scope of Claims for Utility Model Registration No. 1
The water purification device described in section. (3) The water purification device according to claim 1 or 2 of the utility model registration claim, wherein the inner cylinder is made of quartz or quartz glass. (4) The water purification device according to claim 1, 2 or 3 of the utility model registration claim, characterized in that a deflection guide is provided on the inner surface of the outer cylinder.