How to Setup Water Pump in Fish Tank

How to install water pump in aquarium:

Water Pump can be used to provide 2 important features: it is able to make current & aerate water, & it can push water to enter devices such as SUMPS, filters etc. It can create waves in reef aquariums.

Water movement can cause aeration by continuously mixing water surface with the rest of the water in aquarium. Pumps can work better than airstone, & it can cause more aeration than the airstone, even though it might not produce that many bubbles.

When you want to pump water outside aquarium so that it can enter peripherals like external filter & after filtering water, clean water flows back to aquarium. Gravity is used during half cycle but for other half a pump is required.

Selecting a water pump:

It is based on how much water volume a fish keeper would want to move. If a fish keeper wants to use a pump for running a filter, then it will be rated for pumping a certain water volume in an hour. Normally a turnover of around 6 gallons of water in an hour is recommended for most filtration so if an aquarium can hold around 40-gallon of water then a pump that is able to move 240 gallons of water is recommended.

Steps: How to setup water pump in aquarium:

Pumps can drive water into or out of filters. It can vary in price as there are heaps of low cost and high cost pumps which depends on the size of aquarium and flowrate requirement. Submersible pump  also known as powerhead is installed inside the tank and must be submerged. 

How to setup water pump in fish tank

The above video tutorial is about setting up submersible water pump that is able to drive water. It is helpful for beginners who might not know how to assemble water pump & how it works. Most of the water pumps come with instruction manual but the pump I ordered did not offer any manual. Luckily I found a picture on the carton & I assembled the pump accordingly. It is very easy to assemble it & you can learn to assemble any water pump yourself after watching this video.

How to install submersible pump in aquarium

Head pump can operate efficiently in any size aquarium. Use pump that can drive your aquarium filter. It is advisable to use head pump because it will offer the top filtration system your aquarium requires.

Read step by step tutorial about how to setup water pump & learn all the features that water pump provides.

Step 1: Setting up water pump in aquarium:

Step 1: Pump assembly

Attach an end piece to the pipe [1]. Insert pipe with an end piece in a nut [2] & attach pipe to the threaded pipe [3]. Roll nut over the thread & tight it [4]. Attach pipe to an outside connector [5]. Attach other end of the connector to the pump [6]. Attach hose to opening valve of the pump [7]. Pump assembly is complete [8]. It is advisable to connect an end piece which contain small holes in order to reduce the pump pressure which might hurt fish. Water will be sucked from the bottom level & it will be pushed through the hose. Pump can run by producing pressure difference between intake & outgoing valves.

Step 2: Some cool features of the pump:

Step 2: Cool features of aquarium pump

You can explore other features of the pump such as aerating the tank if you do not have an air pump [1]. Aerating the aquarium oxygenates the water which means it increases the amount of oxygen in the water & releases carbon dioxide. Good bacteria, plants & most importantly the fish all thrive on oxygen in the water. Also if there is movement near the water surface [2] it increases the level of oxygen & these features can play a big part if you have a salt water aquarium or have warm water fish in your tank.

Step 3: Testing flow rate & water circulation:

Step 3: Test flow rate & water circulation

Connect submersible pump to the holder with suction cups which attach pump to the tank glass [1]. The flow rate of the pump is pretty good [2]. I have closed the other two outlets of the pump that are meant to be circulating water inside aquarium. Water flow will reduce a bit once I remove the cap [3]. I want to show you more cool features of this pump. I lifted the pump to show you water circulation feature [4]. The outlet of the pump is now outside water & it is driving water with high force which means water is circulating in an aquarium.

Step 4: Second method of water circulation:

Step 4: Second method of water circulation

I submerged the pump again & I am going to show you another feature of the pump that provides water circulation [1]. There is another opening for air bubbles. I connected an air tube to that opening & placed other end of the air tube outside water [2]. Now pump will produce bubbles & will create lots of disturbance which is pretty good. There is no need for an air stone & air pump to oxygenate the aquarium.

Step 5: Testing flow rate of pump in a container:

Test flow rate of water pump in a container

The final test is to check the flow rate in a container. I have used this container for an overhead filter. If you want to know how to build overhead filter, then click on the link below:

• DIY Overhead Filter

You can see the flow rate of the pump which is pretty descent. For high flow rate close the other two outlets of the pump & the pump will no longer aerate water in that case.

I hope you have enjoyed watching this simple video about aquarium pump. Please provide your feedback & share your experience with us in a comment.

Pros & cons of water pump:

Powerhead pump can be used to provide high power with quiet operation. It can operate reliably in tanks. Submersible water pump can operate efficiently inside aquarium water & it is smaller in size. It uses less energy than other pumps. The water pressure sucks the water from the bottom & pushes it from the outlet hose which makes this pump energy efficient. However submersible pumps have more chances of corrosion over time if material used is not plastic. It can generate heat & could end up overheating and malfunction if not fully submerged in aquarium water.