WO2010016639A1

WO2010016639A1 - Water cleaner for aquarium

Info

Publication number: WO2010016639A1
Application number: PCT/KR2008/006099
Authority: WO
Inventors: Geun Bok Lee
Original assignee: Geun Bok Lee
Priority date: 2008-08-08
Filing date: 2008-10-16
Publication date: 2010-02-11

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a water cleaner for an aquarium. The water cleaner includes a body having a plurality of drain holes perforated in a bottom surface and lower portions of sidewalls thereof, a fixture mounted to the body to fix the body to the aquarium, a filter seated in the body to filter foreign substances introduced into the body together with water stored in the aquarium, and a pump having a suction port to suction the foreign substances and the water stored in the aquarium and a discharge port to discharge the water and the foreign substances introduced through the suction port into the body. The water cleaner may effectively remove the foreign substances present in the aquarium without exchanging water stored in the aquarium.

Description

Description WATER CLEANER FOR AQUARIUM

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a water cleaner for an aquarium, which is devised to remove foreign substances accumulated in the aquarium, and more particularly, to a water cleaner for an aquarium, which is devised to remove foreign substances that are caused by, e.g., aquarium fish bait and excrement and are deposited on the bottom of the aquarium.

[2]

Background Art

[3] In general, an aquarium is designed in such a manner that aquatic plants and/or various kinds of structures are built on sand spread on the interior bottom of the aquarium, to create a habitat suitable for, e.g., aquarium fish or other living aquatic animals or plants.

[4] Water received in the aquarium does not flow and therefore, has an oxygen supply deficiency. For this reason, not only to assure comfortable breathing of fish and the like, but also to prevent decomposition of water received in the aquarium, an oxygen (air) supply device has been used to continuously supply oxygen to the water received in the aquarium.

[5] However, the water received in the aquarium exhibits generation of foreign substances as time passes, due to, e.g., excessively supplied fish bait and excrement of aquarium fish living in the water. The generated foreign substances are deposited on the bottom of the aquarium and are mixed with or accumulated on the sand. When the foreign substances are left for a long term, this may cause contamination or decomposition of the water received in the aquarium and finally, may cause death of fish or other living aquatic animals or plants.

[6] To prevent the above described problems, it is necessary to periodically clean the aquarium, to remove aquarium fish bait remains, excrement, and the like. For this, a method for removing all of water, sand, various structures, and the like from an aquarium and washing the sand has generally been used.

[7] However, since all of the structures, sand, and the like, which were removed from the aquarium for cleaning of the aquarium, should be re-built in the aquarium after completion of a cleaning operation, the above described sand washing method may require substantial labor and time. Moreover, this may result in sudden change in the inhabitation environmental condition of fish, such as, e.g., a water temperature, thereby causing stress to the fish. In addition, the above described conventional method has a limit in the cleaning of a large scale aquarium.

[8] To solve the problems of the above described sand washing method, there has been known a method using an aquarium cleaner that consists of a suction pipe and a pump. In the conventional method using the aquarium cleaner, the suction pipe is operated to stir sand spread on the bottom of an aquarium, so as to cause foreign substances to float. Thereafter, the foreign substances are discharged out of the aquarium as water received in the aquarium is discharged.

[9] Although the above described method has an advantage of performing the cleaning of the aquarium without removing aquatic plants or other structures built in the aquarium, discharging the water out of the aquarium together with the foreign substances requires supply of new water from an external source in proportion to the discharged water. Further, since the discharge of water means that a small quantity of sand is discharged together with the foreign substances or the water, this may cause sudden change in, e.g., the temperature of water and the habitat of the aquarium. In this case, there still exists a problem in that certain fish, such as, e.g., tropical fish sensitive to change in the temperature of water and the habitat, may experience serious stress or die.

[10]

Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem

[11] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a water cleaner for an aquarium capable of effectively removing foreign substances accumulated on or in sand spread on the bottom of the aquarium even while maintaining the temperature of water and the habitat of fish within the aquarium.

[12] It is another object of the present invention to provide a water cleaner for an aquarium capable of removing foreign substances floating in water received in the aquarium.

[13] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a water cleaner for an aquarium capable of filtering foreign substances floating in water received in the aquarium by allowing the water to uniformly pass throughout a filter.

[14]

Technical Solution

[15] In accordance with the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a water cleaner for an aquarium, in which foreign substances and water stored in the aquarium are suctioned into a body of the water cleaner via stirring of sand spread on the bottom of the aquarium or a suction force applied from a suction port of a pump submerged in the water, and after filtering of the foreign substances using a filter seated in the body, the water containing no foreign substances is reintroduced into the aquarium.

[16] More particularly, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a water cleaner for an aquarium including a body having a plurality of drain holes perforated in a bottom surface and lower portions of sidewalls thereof, a fixture mounted to the body to fix the body to the aquarium, a filter seated in the body to filter foreign substances introduced into the body together with water stored in the aquarium, and a pump having a suction port to suction the foreign substances and the water stored in the aquarium and a discharge port to discharge the water and the foreign substances introduced through the suction port into the body.

[17] The water cleaner may further include a suction pipe having one end connected to the suction port of the pump to suction the foreign substances contained in sand spread on the bottom of the aquarium using a suction force of the pump, and an expanded pipe having one end connected to the other end of the suction pipe and having a diameter larger than a diameter of the suction pipe.

[18] The water cleaner may further include a water dispersion unit to uniformly disperse the water supplied into the body throughout the filter.

Advantageous Effects

[19] According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively remove foreign substances present in an aquarium without exchanging water stored in the aquarium.

[20] Further, according to the present invention, the temperature of water and the habitat of fish may be continuously maintained since water and sand received in the aquarium are not exchanged or discharged. This has the effect of protecting fish sensitive to change in the temperature of water and the fish habitat.

[21] Furthermore, according to the present invention, foreign substances floating in the water received in the aquarium as well as foreign substances contained in the sand received in the aquarium may be removed, resulting in a further enhancement in the fish habitat.

[22] In addition, according to the present invention, the water of the aquarium is guided to uniformly pass throughout a filter, enabling filtering of foreign substances floating in the water. This has the effect of assuring optimum use of the filter and improving the removal efficiency of the foreign substances.

[23]

Brief Description of Drawings

[24] The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in con- junction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [25] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a water cleaner for an aquarium according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [26] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a body of the water cleaner according to the first embodiment; [27] FIG. 3 is a side sectional view illustrating one exemplary configuration of a fixture according to the first embodiment; [28] FIG. 4 is a side sectional view illustrating another exemplary configuration of the fixture according to the first embodiment; [29] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a connection pipe according to the first embodiment; [30] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an alternative configuration of an expanded pipe according to the first embodiment; [31] FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating an alternative configuration of a handle according to the first embodiment; [32] FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a use example of the water cleaner for an aquarium according to the first embodiment; [33] FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating one exemplary configuration of a water cleaner for an aquarium according to a second embodiment of the present invention; [34] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating another exemplary configuration of the second embodiment; [35] FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a further exemplary configuration of the second embodiment; [36] FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a water cleaner for an aquarium according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

[37] FIG. 13 is views illustrating a configuration of a pump according to the third embodiment; [38] FIGS. 14 and 15 are views illustrating a use example of the water cleaner for an aquarium according to the third embodiment; and [39] FIG. 16 is a perspective view illustrating a water cleaner for an aquarium according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [40]

Mode for the Invention [41] Hereinafter, configurations according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. [43] <First Embodiment

[44] First, a water cleaner for an aquarium according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8.

[45] The present embodiment provides a water cleaner capable of removing foreign substances accumulated in an aquarium 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the water cleaner includes a body 10, a fixture 20, a filter 30, a pump 50, a suction pipe 60, an expanded pipe 70, and a handle 80. The body 10 is perforated with a plurality of drain holes 11 in a bottom surface and a lower portion of each sidewall thereof. The fixture 20 is mounted to the body 10 and serves to fix the body 10 to the aquarium 1. The filter 30 is received in the body 10. The pump 50 has a suction port 51 and a discharge port 52 and is connected to the body 10 by use of a drain pipe 40 that is fitted to the discharge port 52. An upper end of the suction pipe 60 is fitted to the suction port 51 of the pump 50. The expanded pipe 70 is connected to a lower end of the suction pipe 60 and has a diameter larger than a diameter of the suction pipe 60. The handle 80 is mounted to the pump 50.

[46] The body 10, as shown in FIG. 2, takes the form of a box consisting of an upper body

1OA and a lower body 1OB, the upper and lower bodies 1OA and 1OB being integrally formed with each other. The filter 30 is seated in the body 10 and serves to filter foreign substances from water discharged from the pump 50.

[47] The upper body 1OA is tapered downward from an upper end to a lower end thereof so that a width of the upper body 1OA decreases downward. The lower body 1OB formed below the upper body 1OA has a square cross section.

[48] Providing the upper body 1OA with the wider upper end and narrower lower end may allow the filter 30 to be easily mounted into or separated from the lower body 1OB that will be described hereinafter.

[49] The lower body 1OB provides a space in which the filter 30 is seated. Specifically, the filter 30 is inserted into the lower body 1OB such that the filter 30 comes into close contact with approximately vertical sidewalls of the lower body 1OB.

[50] The plurality of drain holes 11 of the body 10 is perforated in a bottom surface and lower portions of the sidewalls of the lower body 1OB, to allow the water discharged from the pump 50 to be reintroduced into the aquarium 1 after passing through the filter 30 seated in the lower body 1OB. In this case, an upper end of each drain hole 11 perforated in the lower portions of the sidewalls of the lower body 1OB, as shown in FIG. 3, is located lower than an upper end of the filter 30 by a difference H. This configuration allows the water discharged from the pump 50 to essentially pass through the filter 30 prior to being drained rather than being directly moved to the drain holes 11. This serves to prevent the foreign substances from being reintroduced into the aquarium 1, rather than being filtered by the filter 30. [51] In the present embodiment, since the water cleaner is designed to suction the water containing the foreign substances from the aquarium 1 and then, to reintroduce the water into the aquarium 1 after removal of the foreign substances, it is important that the body 10 of the water cleaner, in which the filter 30 is seated, be installed close to the aquarium 1. For this reason, the present embodiment proposes that the body 10 is mounted to an inner wall surface of the aquarium 1. For this, the fixture 20 is provided to mount and fix the body 10 to the aquarium 1.

[52] The fixture 20, as shown in FIG. 3, may take the form of an angular protruding piece

21 formed at one side of the upper end of the body 10 to be hung on an upper end of the aquarium 1. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, the fixture 20 may include a plurality of vacuum attraction plates 22 attached to an outer surface of the sidewall of the body 10 to be attracted by and fixed to the inner wall surface of the aquarium 1.

[53] The filter 30, which is seated in the lower body 1OB, serves to filter the water discharged from the pump 50, so as to collect the foreign substances contained in the water while allowing passage of the water therethrough. For this, the filter 30 is preferably shaped to be tightly inserted into an interior space of the lower body 1OB, to allow the water discharged from the pump 50 to essentially pass through the filter 30. For example, the filter 30 may have the same block shape as that of the interior space of the lower body 1OB. Also, the filter 30 may be made of cotton or non- woven fabric material that is easily found at home and has an excellent filtering function.

[54] The drain pipe 40 is configured to supply the water discharged from the pump 50 into the body 10. Specifically, one end of the drain pipe 40 is fixed to the upper end of the upper body 1OB, and the other end of the drain pipe 40 is connected to the discharge port 52 of the pump 50, whereby the water of the aquarium 1 discharged from the pump 50 is directed into the body 10. The drain pipe 40 is preferably formed of a hose made of a flexible material, a flexible bellows hose, or the like, to assure free movement of the water cleaner.

[55] In this case, a nozzle 92 may be installed to the end of the drain pipe 40 fixed to the upper end of the body 10, to eject the water discharged from the pump 50 into the body 10. The nozzle 92 may also serve to fix the drain pipe 40 to the upper body 1OA.

[56] The pump 50, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, has the suction port 51 and the discharge port 52. The capacity of the pump 50 is freely selectable so long as the pump 50 provides a suction force sufficient to suction the foreign substances from the bottom of the aquarium 1.

[57] The suction pipe 60 serves to suction the water and the foreign substances. The upper end of the suction pipe 60 is connected to the suction port 51 of the pump 50, and the lower end of the suction pipe 60 is connected to the expanded pipe 70. In this case, a length of the suction pipe 60 may be increased or decreased according to the depth of water in the aquarium 1.

[58] Specifically, the length of the suction pipe 60 is preferably variable according to the depth of water in the aquarium 1. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the length of the suction pipe 60 may be adjusted using a plurality of connection pipes 100 in such a manner that a desired number of the connection pipes 100 are connected in series in consideration of the depth of water.

[59] The expanded pipe 70 is connected to the lower end of the suction pipe 60. In this case, the diameter of the expanded pipe 70 is larger than the diameter of the suction pipe 60 attached to the upper end of the expanded pipe 70. With this configuration, when the sand and the foreign substances float up the expanded tube 70 via stirring operation by the expanded pipe 70 and the suction force of the pump 50, a larger inner diameter of the expanded pipe 70 acts to reduce the suction force of the pump 50. This serves to cause the slightly heavy sand to be deposited by gravity and the relatively light foreign substances to be easily suctioned into the suction pipe 60 that is attached to the upper end of the expanded pipe 70.

[60] A lower end of the expanded tube 70, as shown in FIG. 6, may be formed with an anti- attachment indented portion 71, which is indented in a longitudinal direction of the expanded pipe 70. The anti- attachment indented portion 71 serves to prevent the lower end of the expanded tube 70 from being attached to a glass bottom wall of the aquarium 1 during a cleaning operation by the suction force of the pump 50.

[61] The handle 80 is located at the top of the pump 50 and serves to allow a user to easily move the water cleaner. In this case, the handle 80 or the pump 50 is preferably provided with an ON/OFF switch S, to allow the user to easily operate or stop the pump 50.

[62] Here, the handle 80 fixed to an upper surface of the pump 50, may have a semi- spherical shape as shown in FIG. 5. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, a handle 80A having a vertical rod shape may be used.

[63] Next, operations of the water cleaner for the aquarium according to the present embodiment will be described.

[64] When using the water cleaner for the aquarium having the above described configuration according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, first, the body 10 and the pump 50 are connected to each other by use of the drain pipe 40. Then, the body 10 is fixed to the wall 2 of the aquarium 1 by use of the fixture 20 such that the body 10 is located inside the aquarium 1. Thereafter, the user moves the pump 50 to an appropriate position by grasping the handle 80 attached to the upper surface of the pump 50, so as to insert the expanded pipe 70 into sand 3 spread on the bottom of the aquarium 1 by an appropriate depth. As the expanded pipe 70 slightly stirs the sand 3, the foreign substances accumulated on or in the sand 3 float up. [65] When the foreign substances float up together with the sand 3, the sand 3 is again deposited by gravity, and only the foreign substances are suctioned into the suction pipe 60 together with the water, thereby being introduced into the body 10 through the drain pipe 40 via operation of the pump 50.

[66] The foreign substances are captured by the filter 30 as the water introduced into the body 10 passes through the filter 30. Thereby, as the water, from which all the foreign substances are removed, is reintroduced into the aquarium 1 through the drain holes 11, the cleaning of the aquarium 1 is completed.

[67]

[68] <Second Embodiment

[69] Next, a water cleaner for an aquarium according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11. In the following description of the present embodiment, constituent elements corresponding to those of the previously described first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals.

[70] In the present embodiment, a water dispersion unit is additionally provided to allow the water introduced into the body 10 to be uniformly dispersed throughout the filter 30.

[71] More specifically, when the water introduced into the body 10 flows unidirectionally, the foreign substances may be accumulated in any one side of the filter 30. In this case, the filter 30 may fail to effectively filter the foreign substances. Therefore, the present embodiment proposes the use of the water dispersion unit to allow the water introduced into the body 10 to be uniformly dispersed and absorbed throughout the filter 30.

[72] The water dispersion unit may have any one of various shapes.

[73] Specifically, the water dispersion unit, as shown in FIG. 9, may include an inclined plate 91 formed at a corner of an inner wall of the body 10, and a nozzle 92A to eject the water discharged from the pump 50 onto the inclined plate 91 at a right angle. With this configuration, when the water supplied through the drain pipe 40 is discharged onto the inclined plate 91 by the nozzle 92A, the water is able to be dispersed over the inner wall of the body 10 by the inclined plate 91, thereby being uniformly dispersed throughout the filter 30.

[74] In another exemplary configuration, the water dispersion unit, as shown in FIG. 10, may include a curved cover 93 configured to cover the upper surface of the body 10, and a nozzle 92B to eject the water toward a lower curved surface 93A of the cover 93. With this configuration, the water supplied through the drain pipe 40 is ejected upward toward the curved surface 93 A by the nozzle 92B. As the ejected water flows along the lower curved surface 93 A of the cover 93, the water may be uniformly supplied throughout the filter 30.

[75] In a further exemplary configuration, the water dispersion unit, as shown in FIG 11, may include a semicircular ejection pipe 94 having an open upper surface, the semicircular ejection pipe 94 being installed to horizontally cross an upper region of the body 10. With this configuration, the water discharged through the drain pipe 40 overflows the ejection pipe 94 in opposite sides thereof, thereby being dispersed and supplied throughout the filter 30.

[76] In this case, it is preferable that the ejection pipe 94 be rotatable to completely remove the water remaining therein. For this, a rotating handle 94A is integrally formed with the ejection pipe 94, to extend outward from the body 10. In this case, the upper body 1OA is formed with a raised holding portion 94B to keep the rotating handle 94A at a fixed position. More preferably, the raised holding portion 94B is partially cut away from the top thereof to allow detachable coupling of the ejection pipe 94. This also has the effect of assuring easy exchange of the filter 30.

[77] Here, when the water is discharged from the ejection pipe 94, the water may be splashed out of the body 10 by a pressure of the pump 50. Therefore, it is preferable to cover the body 10 with the cover 93 when in use.

[78] As described above, the present embodiment proposes the use of the water dispersion unit to cause the water discharged from the pump 50 to be uniformly dispersed and supplied throughout the filter 30, enabling effective use of the filter 30.

[79] Other configurations and operations of the present embodiment are equal to those of the previously described first embodiment and thus, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[80]

[81] <Third Embodiment

[82] Next, a water cleaner for an aquarium according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 15. In the following description of the present embodiment, constituent elements corresponding to those of the previously described first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals.

[83] The water cleaner for the aquarium according to the present embodiment basically includes the body 10, the fixture 20, the filter 30, and the pump 50, and may further include the suction pipe 60 and the expanded pipe 70. In this case, the configurations of the body 10, the fixture 20, the filter 30, the suction pipe 60, and the expanded pipe 70 are equal to those of the first embodiment.

[84] Exceptionally, in the present embodiment, a discharge port 52 of the pump 50 is pivotally connected to the nozzle 92 that ejects the water discharged from the pump 50 into the body 10. Alternatively, the discharge port 52 may be directly pivotally connected to the body 10, rather than being connected to the nozzle 92.

[85] As the discharge port 52 is pivotally connected to the nozzle 92, the suction port 51 of the pump 50 may be freely oriented to face a desired direction. Specifically, the suction port 51 may be oriented upward as shown in FIG. 12, or may be oriented downward as shown in FIG. 13(a).

[86] In the present embodiment, a connection pipe 101, to which the suction pipe 60 may be connected, may be connected to the suction port 51. In this case, the connection pipe 101 is preferably made of a flexible material to allow the suction pipe 60 and the expanded pipe 70 to be freely moved to different positions of the aquarium 1 during a cleaning operation.

[87] As shown in FIGS. 13(b) and 13(c), the suction port 51 is perforated with a plurality of holes 51a having a size smaller than aquarium fish to prevent entrance of the aquarium fish. That is, the suction port 51 is configured to allow only passage of the water while preventing entrance of aquarium fish living in the aquarium 1. This is available when the suction port 51 is directly submerged into the water of the aquarium 1 rather than being connected to the connection pipe 101 or the suction pipe 60, so that the water of the aquarium 1 is introduced into the suction port 51 for removal of the foreign substances floating in the water of the aquarium 1.

[88] In the present embodiment, the fixture 20 preferably includes the vacuum attraction plates 22 capable of changing fixing positions of the body 10. With the use of the vacuum attraction plates 22, the body 10 may be located above the water surface as shown in FIG. 14, or may be partially submerged in the water as shown in FIG. 15. Of course, any other configurations may substitute for the vacuum attraction plates 22 so long as they can change fixing positions of the body 10.

[89] In the present embodiment as described above, as shown in FIG. 14, the connection pipe 101, the suction pipe 60, and the expanded pipe 70 are sequentially connected to the suction port 51 of the pump 50, to clean the sand 3 spread on the bottom of the aquarium 1, in the same manner as the previously described first embodiment. In this case, the body 10 is fixed to the wall 2 of the aquarium 1 above the water surface by use of the vacuum attraction plates 22.

[90] On the other hand, in the case where it is necessary to remove the foreign substances floating in the water received in the aquarium 1, as shown in FIG. 15, the suction port 51 of the pump 50 may be submerged in the water, allowing the water of the aquarium 1 to be introduced through the holes 51a of the suction port 51. In this case, to submerge the suction port 51 in the water, the body 10 may be installed to the aquarium 1 so as to be partially submerged in the water.

[91] To allow the suction port 51 to be submerged in the water, the installation position of the body 10 may be changed from a position as shown in FIG. 14 to a position as shown in FIG. 15. This is possible under the assumption that the fixture 20 includes the vacuum attraction plates 22. However, since the vacuum attraction plates 22 have considerable deterioration in attraction force when submerged in the water, the adsorption plates 22 are preferably installed to the body 10 so that at least one of the adsorption plates 22 is located above the water surface.

[92]

[93] <Fourth Embodiment

[94] Next, a water cleaner for an aquarium according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 16. In the following description of the present embodiment, constituent elements corresponding to those of the previously described first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals.

[95] In the present embodiment, an auxiliary case 13 is mounted to a side surface of the body 10 and the pump 50 is inserted into the auxiliary case 13. One side of the auxiliary case 13 is partially cut away for installation of the suction port 51 of the pump 50. In this case, the suction port 51 may be sequentially connected with the connection pipe 101, the suction pipe 60, and the expanded pipe 70 in the same manner as the above described third embodiment .

[96] The discharge port 52 of the pump 50 is located at the top of the pump 50 to extend lengthwise vertically. In this case, the discharge port 52 is provided with the water dispersion unit, to allow the water discharged from the discharge port 52 to be uniformly dispersed throughout the filter 30 from the upper side of the body 10. Although the water dispersion unit may take the form of any one of the above described configurations according to the second embodiment, the water dispersion unit according to the present embodiment may include an ejection pipe 95, one end of which is connected to the discharge port 52 by use of a right angled pipe 96. The ejection pipe 95 is perforated in the bottom thereof with a plurality of drain holes 95A. The other end of the ejection pipe 95 may be blocked, or may be opened or closed by a cap 97 as shown.

[97] The present embodiment performs the same function as the first embodiment, but is similar to the second embodiment due to the fact that it adopts the water dispersion unit. Also, the present embodiment is similar to the third embodiment due to the fact that the pump 50 is fixed to the body 10 and the flexible connection pipe 101 is connected to the suction port 51 of the pump 50. Accordingly, the present embodiment has the effects of cleaning the aquarium 1 by freely moving the suction pipe 60 and the expanded pipe 70 within the aquarium 1 by use of the connection pipe 101, and filtering the foreign substances floating in the water by uniformly dispersing the water throughout the filter 30 by use of the water dispersion unit. In addition, since the pump 50 is kept at a fixed position, it is unnecessary to grasp the pump 50 during the cleaning of the aquarium 1, and there is no need for the handle to grasp the pump 50. [98] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

[1] A water cleaner for an aquarium comprising: a body having a plurality of drain holes perforated in a bottom surface and lower portions of sidewalls thereof; a fixture mounted to the body to fix the body to the aquarium; a filter seated in the body to filter foreign substances introduced into the body together with water stored in the aquarium; and a pump having a suction port to suction the foreign substances and the water stored in the aquarium and a discharge port to discharge the water and the foreign substances introduced through the suction port into the body. [2] The water cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the suction port is formed with a plurality of holes to prevent aquarium fish from entering the pump. [3] The water cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising: a suction pipe having one end connected to the suction port of the pump to suction the foreign substances contained in sand spread on the bottom of the aquarium using a suction force of the pump; and an expanded pipe having one end connected to the other end of the suction pipe and having a diameter larger than a diameter of the suction pipe. [4] The water cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the expanded pipe is formed at the other end thereof with an anti- attachment portion indented in a longitudinal direction of the expanded pipe to prevent the other end of the expanded pipe from being attached to a wall of the aquarium by the suction force of the pump. [5] The water cleaner according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of connection pipes is selectively installed between the suction port of the pump and the suction pipe, to permit variation in a length of the suction pipe. [6] The water cleaner according to claim 3, wherein a connection pipe made of a flexible material is installed between the suction port of the pump and the suction pipe to connect the suction port and the suction pipe to each other, to permit free movement of the suction pipe and the expanded pipe within the aquarium. [7] The water cleaner according to claim 3, further comprising: a handle provided at the pump. [8] The water cleaner according to claim 7, wherein the handle or the pump is provided with a switch to turn the pump on or off. [9] The water cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the fixture includes an angular protruding piece formed at an upper end of the body to be caught by an upper end of the aquarium. [10] The water cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the fixture includes a plurality of vacuum attraction plates that are attached to an outer side surface of the body so as to be attached to an inner wall surface of the aquarium. [11] The water cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising: a water dispersion unit to uniformly disperse the water supplied into the body throughout the filter. [12] The water cleaner according to claim 11, wherein the water dispersion unit includes an inclined plate formed at a corner of an inner wall of an upper body, and a nozzle to eject the water toward the inclined plate. [13] The water cleaner according to claim 11, wherein the water dispersion unit includes a cover to cover an upper surface of an upper body, and a nozzle to eject the water toward a lower surface of the cover. [14] The water cleaner according to claim 11, wherein the water dispersion unit includes a semicircular ejection pipe horizontally crossing an upper region of an upper body.