How Do You Hide the Pump in a Freshwater Aquarium?

In a small freshwater aquarium, unsightly air and water pumps can detract from the serene decor. There are several ways to hide these essential pieces of equipment without losing the functionality of the devices. Using a tank background can hide the external pump housings behind a smaller aquarium. For aquariums larger than 55 gallons, there are other methods that work quite well.

  1. Plants

    • One of the easiest ways to hide an internal air or water pump is to hide it behind a growth of thick vegetation. A large Amazon Sword plant or a grouping of faerie grass can easily hide the housing without having to make any modifications to the unit. Be sure to anchor the pump to the aquarium walls because larger fish will likely run into the pump while digging through the substrate.

    Decorations

    • Tank decorations are a great way to hide pumps. Internal tank pumps can be hidden beneath large ornaments or in caves as long as water flow is not hampered. Really creative people can use aquarium-safe epoxy to glue decorative stones or shells to the pump housing and make it into a decoration of its own. The outside casing can also be covered in mesh and seeded with algae or java moss.

    Rocks

    • Rocks are always an aquarist best friend. In this case they can hide the pumps and all of the tubing and wiring and hold everything in place with their weight. Rocks are often used as a natural-looking backdrop, so using them to cover a pump housing in the back of the aquarium is almost a foregone conclusion. It is best to keep the majority of the weight off the cases by stacking rocks against the sides of the aquarium. Too much weight on the case could cause it to crack.

    Large Pumps

    • Large pumps are usually housed in a cabinet underneath the aquarium. If you don't have a cabinet and your pumps are sitting next to the tank, a simple fabric panel could be used to hide the pumps without limiting access to them. A small three-panel shoji screen adds a nice touch, especially if you have Japanese fish such as orandas or koi.