An aquarium which includes a tank having a pump and an under gravel filter
disposed in the tank below the pump and a sediment removal system for
collecting and removing sediment which passes through the under gravel
filter. The under gravel filter includes a hollow bubble dispersing base
plate having a perforated top surface and an overlying substrate. An air
conduit is provided for introducing air into the pump. The pump is
connected to the plate such as to pump water and air into the interior of
the plate to thereby cause oxygenated water and bubbles to exit upwardly
through the perforated top surface of the plate and into and through the
substrate. The pump includes a free floating magnetic impeller. A
rotational torque generating unit is provided to rotate the impeller. The
rotational torque generating unit includes a magnetic drive disk and a
motor for rotating the magnetic drive disk. The pump and rotational
torque generating unit are aligned with each other such that a magnetic
field is established between the magnetic drive disk and the magnetic
impeller, the magnetic field rotating upon rotation of the magnetic drive
disk to thereby rotate the impeller.