Patent ID: 7569139

Claim:
An aquarium filter assembly comprising a housing having mounting structure for mounting to an aquarium tank, said housing having a filter cartridge therein, said filter cartridge having an upstream face and a downstream face, said housing having an inlet receiving dirty aquarium water, and an outlet returning clean filtered water to said tank, said housing defining a flow path therethrough from upstream to downstream from said inlet to said outlet, including a vertical flow path portion from said upstream face of said filter cartridge to said downstream face of said filter cartridge, said housing having a water pump pumping water along said flow path; wherein said housing has upper and lower horizontally spanning plenums vertically spaced from each other by said filter cartridge therebetween and vertically spaced directly above the aquarium water in said tank; and wherein said housing has first, second, third, and fourth vertically extending sidewalls bordering said upper and lower horizontally spanning plenums therebetween, said first sidewall of said housing having a water flow passage passing water upwardly therealong from said inlet and said pump to said upper plenum, said second sidewall of said housing having said outlet and passing water through said outlet from said lower plenum to return the water to said tank.