Getting a new fish tank can be much more exciting than buying new aquarium pumps. Although it is true that these devices are far from being the most exciting part of an aquarium, they very well may be the most important.

So, because they are so important it is wise to not only understand how they work on a superficial level, but also on a deeper level. The more a person can understand about them, the better he will be at fixing problems if they occur.

So, here are some of the things that it may be helpful to know about aquarium pumps:

• Don’t reduce pump intake – Doing this will make the pump run at a warmer temperature than normal. Also, it will then make the pump’s life shorter. So, unless you are the kind of person who simply likes to break things just so he can have a reason to buy a newer model, you may want to be careful with the pumps to ensure that the intake does not get reduced inadvertently or on purpose.

• Don’t reduce pump return – The same advice holds true for the pump return as well. The return line of the pump, if it needs to be reduced, should only be reduced at he last moment. Reducing it in this manner will facilitate the pump to run cooler because there will not be as much friction.

• Use a screen – It is always a good idea to use a screen on the inside of the aquarium pumps. Most of the submersible tanks that are already on the market come with a screen that is detachable. Most bulkhead kits also come with a screen as well.

• Fed the pump with a plumbing line – Feeding the pump with a plumbing line is a good idea as long as the plumbing line is larger than the pump intake diameter at the top. This is a good thing because what it does is ensure that the pump will run normally because the intake is flooded. This is true even in those occasions when the intakes may become stuffed up with a little debris.

• DO NOT use hard plumbing in the pump return line – If you get nothing else from the information that is being read, this is the number one most important thing to remember. To some, a filtration system that includes hard plumbing may look more professional, this is rarely true. When using hard plumbing, the pump must operate at a higher level with warmer temperatures.

• Keep pump above 1/3 mark – If, per chance, the valve pump happens to be more than 1/3 the way down , the pump is most likely too big. It can definitely be a problem to do too much valving a pump down because this can result in resistance, a warmer pump, and, in turn, warmer temperatures inside of the tank itself.

• Watch the maximum turnover – The turnover maximum for a wet-dry filter or other open air system should not be more than five times the volume of the aquarium. If more current is needed, a power head may be added to the min aquarium tank for some more circulation.

For some of the information that has been listed in each of these items of content, things can vary at least a bit. The best way to understand how to deal with your filter is to simply do your own homework and ask questions. Doing so will allow you to gain more wisdom about aquarium pumps than you ever could have before.