• 13 parts
  • Checked October 2026

Parts of a Fish Tank

A set-up freshwater fish tank from the front, then its hang-on filter cut through.

Parts of a Fish Tank

Name Date

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Tank
  2. Hood (lid)
  3. Light
  4. Filter
  5. Heater
  6. Gravel
  7. Air pump
  8. Airline tubing
  9. Air stone
  10. Drip loop
  11. Intake tube
  12. Impeller
  13. Filter cartridge

Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the parts of a fish

All 13 parts on the diagram

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The tank, set up 10

  1. Tank A glass or acrylic box that holds the water.
  2. Hood (lid) A cover over the tank; it often holds the light.
  3. Light A lamp over the tank, often a strip of LEDs.
  4. Filter It pulls water through a pad and returns it cleaner.
  5. Heater A heating tube; it keeps the water warm.
  6. Gravel Small stones that cover the bottom of the tank.
  7. Air pump A small pump; it pushes air down the tubing.
  8. Airline tubing A thin hose that carries air to the air stone.
  9. Air stone A porous block; it breaks the air into small bubbles.
  10. Drip loop A dip in a cord, lower than the wall outlet. Water that runs down the cord drips off there.

The filter, cut through 3

  1. Intake tube The pipe that draws tank water into the filter.
  2. Impeller A small spinning rotor; it moves the water.
  3. Filter cartridge A pad of filter material; it traps dirt from the water.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-10-01, a name kept only where two independent sources use it. Three makers' instruction manuals, read in the Internet Archive's copies, each maker counted as one source: two aquarium kits (https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-5670116, https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6398787) and a hang-on power filter (https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-7329208); Wikipedia, Aquarium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquarium), Aquarium filter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquarium_filter) and Airstone (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airstone), one source. This page is not connected with or endorsed by any maker. Hints and detail lines are in our own words. Names only: the page gives no advice on fish, water or electricity. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain geometry; a schematic of no maker's product, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

The parts of a fish tank are the tank itself and the gear that keeps its water clean, warm and full of air. The first drawing shows a tank set up; the second cuts through its filter.

Read the full guide

The tank, set up

A hood covers the tank and carries the light. The filter hangs on one wall, and its cord dips in a drip loop below the wall outlet. A heater stands in the water, and gravel covers the bottom. Outside, an air pump pushes air through airline tubing to an air stone, which breaks it into bubbles.

Inside the filter

The intake tube draws water up over the wall into the filter box. An impeller under the tube keeps it moving. The water passes through the filter cartridge and spills back into the tank.

Questions and answers

What is the top of a fish tank called?

The cover is called a hood or a lid. It often holds the light, slows the water from evaporating and keeps fish from jumping out.

What makes the bubbles in a fish tank?

An air stone. It is a porous block on the end of the airline tubing. Air from the air pump is forced through it and comes out as a stream of small bubbles.

What does the impeller in a fish tank filter do?

It is a small rotor, turned by the filter motor, that keeps water moving up the intake tube and on through the filter cartridge.

What is a drip loop?

A dip in a power cord that hangs lower than the wall outlet, so that water running down the cord drips off at the dip.

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