Heavy-duty external filter delivers powerful mechanical, chemical, and biological filtration for crystal clear water in fresh or marine aquariums. Extra-large capacity stackable filter medium containers. Three year warranty. Offered in a range of sizes.
Average Customer Rating:
4.3 out of 5
Rating Snapshot
(28 reviews)
5 paws
18
4 paws
5
3 paws
2
2 paws
1
1 paw
2
26 of 28 (93%) customers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
4
of 5
Quality:
4
of 5
Performance:
5
of 5
Written By:A wet finger (
Chicago
)
Trouble Priming then it humms!!
Date: May 16, 2006
"After installing the tubing on the tank and suction lines, I found allowing a powerhead within the tank to blow into the open end of the suction line, removing the screen obviously, it primes almost instantly!! I have a 125gal and own two cascade 1000s for it. Literally scrubs the water!"
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Review 2 for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
3
of 5
Written By:turtlemaster
Frustrating!!
Date: December 31, 2008
"The directions for this tank filter should include set up for a tank that is not filled to the top, such as a tank for turtles. It does not auto fill with 4 pumps and it is a nightmare to get started. We returned the first tank, a 700 because it would not start. When we got the 500 set up and it wouldn't start up either we decided it must be us. After some thought we figured out the problem was due to the water level in the tank. Even when you know that, it is still difficult to prime. Our tank has very little water movement and the water is less clear than it was yesterday. Calls to the call center go unanswered. I am sure it will work great once I get the air out of the lines but that is difficult!! Two days and still no success."
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Review 3 for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
5
of 5
Written By:Anonymous Reviewer (
Duluth, Mn
)
Great Filter
Date: December 9, 2008
"I would like to say the Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filter is a great filter system for the money. It was easy to setup and if it wasn't for the bubbles from my protein skimmer you wouldn't know I had water in the tank. The water is crystal clear. I have had no problems yet and would recommend this to all my freinds. This is setup on a 55 gallon saltwater tank. I would also like to say that you can't hear the filter run very nice."
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Review 4 for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
1
of 5
Written By:damivoo
terrible filters
Date: September 23, 2008
"this filter has been a pain in the neck since i bought it..the megia they make for it is small and thin and needs 2 be changed about every 3 days..i get maybe a week or so using regulaar foam inside..and now after 2 months its sprung a leak.. GARBAGE"
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Review 5 for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
4
of 5
Written By:ReefBoi (
Woodland Hills, CA
)
Awesome but...
Date: August 10, 2008
"Great price, great performance... But if you have an aquarium less than 20 gallons it will raise your water temperature up to 85.(it has a water-cooled motor) Watch out for that... even though thats the problem with my reef setup, I'm still going to keep this and enjoy it."
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Review 6 for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
5
of 5
Written By:bbk3
Cascade filter
Date: July 27, 2008
"Easy 2 install and quiet! Have tank in bedroom and the filter is very quiet. Petco online order and delivery FAST! and they are fantastic about returns 2 ur local store!"
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Review 7 for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
5
of 5
Written By:turtleturtle (
Spokane, Wa
)
Great Filter!!!
Date: July 6, 2008
"i originally bought an open box of the 700, but after 2 weeks found out it was missing parts which would explain the inability to filter the water. i took it back and got a brand new one on sale and within 2 hours, the water went from yellowish greenish to crystal clear in my 55 gallon tank. turtle is much happier and the feeder fish are more scared! definatly recommend to anyone."
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Review 8 for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
5
of 5
Written By:eckloss (
Wheeling, WV
)
Great value filter
Date: May 6, 2008
"Purchased the 700 model for use in my 55 gallon freshwater community tank.
Giving 5 paws because it is a wonderful filter for the price. however, there are a few things that a potential buyer should know that will make set-up alot easier!
First, the black tubing included with the filter was somewhat short for my needs. no problem though...i bought 20 feet of clear tubing from my local hardware store (about $8 total) 3/4" outside diam, 5/8 inside diam, to replace the original tubing. the other major advantage the store bought clear tubing has is that it allows you to see the water flow as you are priming the unit. the instructions say 4 pumps will prime it. in my case, with longer tubing, it was more like 60 pumps, but no big deal. i filled the canister with water before securing the top, and pumped it repeatedly until i could see both tubes filled with water, then plugged it in. worked like a charm!
the unit is VERY quiet, with almost no noticeable vibrations. the media seems easy enough to change. the handle on top of the unit makes it easy to take to your sink so you dont spill any water near your setup.
but the most important part - after only a couple of hours the water in the tank was CRYSTAL CLEAR. the spray bar is massive and fits well within a 55 gallon tank. its also able to be separated in the middle for smaller tanks. might get another one to split between my two 29 gallon tanks.
would be nice to see a UV option, but that can come later.
a great buy. get one!"
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Review 9 for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
5
of 5
Written By:Jaay (
Iowa
)
Over one year and still working fine!
Date: May 6, 2008
"I purchased the Cascade 700 over a year ago in use with my HOB filter set up with a 75 gal FOWLR tank. For the price and its design, it does quite well! I have had no performance issues so far. When I recieved my filter it had a defective part. I simply emailed Penn Plax directly and in less than 1 business week I got my part! At only 165 gph, I dont feel this meets the tank size it is recommended for, which I believe is 65 gallons. I'd go with the largest size you can get! The correct media can be challanging to find, but it is out there! Stock up."
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Review 10 for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
2
of 5
Written By:inoname
BAd Customer service for cascade 1500
Date: March 5, 2008
"i had purchased a cascade 1000 and it worked perfectly on my 29g aquarium. so i purchased a 1500 for my 90g aquarium, but when i received it, the base was broken, the cascade joint sealer was missing and when i plugged it to the outlet, the motor was working but no water was flowing through the intake and outtake section. Since it says if you have any questions regarding the product, call the cascade customer service, I have called their customer service for several days but it is "busy attending other customers", i have left several voice messages and an email and so far i have heard no response from the penplax company and i have a broken filter!"
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Review 11 for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
5
of 5
Written By:ivan (
sartell, Mn
)
best filter
Date: February 23, 2008
"The right filter for the job, my turtles water never look so clean, and me i love how i dont have to clean the filter every other day"
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Review 12 for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
5
of 5
Written By:Jada (
Las Vegas, NV
)
Great for turtles
Date: February 10, 2008
"This filter is excellent!! I am not an expert at these things at all and it was fairly easy to put together. Only thing is you have to make sure you have enough water in the tank to start it. I didn't clean the tank when I set it up but within a hour or so it was spotless. Another good thing about this filter is that the turtles don't bother it. I had an internal filter and they were always knocking it over. I love this filter!!!"
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Review 13 for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
5
of 5
Written By:rhfarr (
Lewistown, MT
)
Fantastic Filter
Date: January 24, 2008
"Trouble-free! Easy to use! Low maintenance! Best!"
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Review 14 for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
5
of 5
Quality:
4
of 5
Performance:
5
of 5
Written By:pchan (
Lewiston, ME
)
Good
Date: December 27, 2007
"I recently purchased the Penn Plax Cascade 500 Canister filter and I must say im impressed! Easy to put together. For people who care about the noise level, its WICKED quiet. And for people starting up the filter. Well your supposed to prime it first by pushing on the cascade button a dozen times, wait till it fills and then plug in the bad boy. I would buy this filter again. I have to say I'll have to see how long my water stays clean. It only took me about 30 minutes and it was Done. I was excited when my package came. And was well worth the wait! and money!"
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Review 15 for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
4
of 5
Quality:
4
of 5
Performance:
4
of 5
Written By:jbowker
hard to prime, then it's all good
Date: October 17, 2007
"I read the directions, set it up, and plugged it in. It sounded like a wrench in a blender. I took the intake hose off and filled it with water, then turned the valve off so the water stayed in it, and reattached. I then repeated the same for the outgoing hose as well. Then I opened both valves, and vigorously pumped the prime button until I could finally hear it filling with water. I could tell that it finally filled as the water level dropped in my tank and the filter gained weight. Then I plugged it in and it sounded better, and within a few minutes the rest of the air worked itself out. Once all the air was gone the pump is super quiet. The water is far cleaner now! Difficulty in priming kept it form five paws."
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Review 16 for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
4
of 5
Quality:
5
of 5
Performance:
5
of 5
Written By:Tobvanv
Great pump hard prime
Date: October 8, 2007
"This pump was very easy to set up and get going in no time. The only thing I didnt care for was it was not so self priming pump pump pumkp nothing after 3 minutes. I opened all valves and stuck a power head in the intake and it took about 2 seconds for it to be working great after that. Id say buy one to anyone but you may have to work a little on the priming."
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Review 17 for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
5
of 5
Quality:
5
of 5
Performance:
5
of 5
Written By:PRVRT
Great Product
Date: August 17, 2007
"This pump works great. The flow is incredible with the spray bar. It primed in 2 pumps, then wait for 2-3 mins for canister to fill and then plug it in. I have it on a Sea Clear 50 Gal tank and the current in the tank is great. Small fish may find it to much. You can't go wrong with it and the assembly is about 15 mins."
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Review 18 for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
5
of 5
Quality:
5
of 5
Performance:
5
of 5
Written By:Grizzly
BEST FILTER BAR NONE!
Date: August 15, 2007
"I have 12 tanks at home. 3 saltwater. I have only been able to afford to put the cascades on 5 tanks at this time, ( not because of the price of the filter, which is GREAT for the quality, but because I have limited funds at the moment) but in time will be able to have them on all of them. Bar none, the easiest, least expensive, and eisiest to prime canister I have ever owned! Fluval, Ehiem, Filstar) None of these other filters even compare!"
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Review 19 for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
5
of 5
Quality:
5
of 5
Performance:
5
of 5
Written By:Anonymous Reviewer
very very pleased
Date: August 1, 2007
"I ORDERED AND RECEIVED A PENN PLAX CASCADE FILTER 1000, AND WAS SUPRISED HOW EASY IT WAS TO INSTALL ON MY 50 GAL AQUARIUM. I WENT TO BED AND MY WATER TURTLE WAS IN DIRTY WATER. THE NEXT MORNING IT WAS VERY CLEAR. THANKS PETCO."
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Review 20 for Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filters
Overall Rating:
5
of 5
Quality:
5
of 5
Performance:
5
of 5
Written By:Gwardo
One Awesome Filter
Date: July 25, 2007
"I got a cascade 700 for my turtle last year. Pablo is a very dirty little guy, and the hang on the side filter I had just didn't cut it. Within a few hours, the water was crystal clear. Its super quiet, and due to the valves on the end of the hoses, it makes draining the tank to do water changes easier than ever. I will never go back to a power filter, and would reccomend this filter type for anybody because its soo quiet and easy to maintain."
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