Penn-Plax Cascade 1000 Aquarium Canister Filter – Provides Physical, Biological, and Chemical Filtration – 265 Gallons per Hour (GPH)

I have a 13" pleco.....bunch of guppies texas map turtles and some other stuff in a 75 gallon tank that had to have its fluval filter taken away. I went away and when I came home it smelled terrible and I couldnt even see through the water. The pleco had to be at the window just for me to see him. I could not use the fluval 305 I use to have and I could not find another one on craigslist for 25 bucks. I researched for a day and decided to go with the cascade 1000 based on its accessories and the good reviews.Great Choice so farPros1. price, 99 bucks for a filter that can handle a 100 gallon tanks is great.2. The way it is made in some ways is much better than the fluval. For one it has a clamp on each side as opposed to just two. I use to have a fluval that only had two clamps. it was much harder to clamp down and one broke...it was over then. The cascade is much easier to clamp down and if one breaks you still have three more to compensate. another way it is built better over the fluval 305 is the connectors to the motor move around so you are able to move the tubing in many more directions in a much more comfortable easier way. With the fluval the tubing was so stiff and if I wanted to re arrange the tubing I would have to take it completely out the water which was a pain. And last the biggest is the primer. instead of a little pin with a finger side handle to push and pull the water in to get it started the cascade instead uses a button. I had a fluval one I had to prime it for so long the pin broke and I had to order a new one. it still didnt work. Because the cascade is a pump button you dont have to worry about that. Another huge factor the button is far superior is because you can use the ball of your foot to pump it instead of your hands. I did this and it started in less than 30 seconds no joke. With the fluval I have tried to get it started the first time for about twenty minutes and some people give up. the way the water flow changer is made is better than the fluval because the fluvals plastic piece that is thin can get bent easily in not slide up and down in the slit. you will have no issue with that here.3. very very easy to set up. you can see the water fill in the canister the tubes are very flexible and easy to connect. IF YOU HAVE A PRIMING ISSUE SIMPLY STOP USING YOUR HANDS< STAND UP AND USE THE BALL OF YOUR FOOT. THIS WORKED FOR ME IN LESS THAN 30 SECONDS!!!!4. Water flow rate is great. You can adjust the water flow for output and input separately so if you are using a spray bar and want to quiet it down at night you can slow it down. The spray bar is cool but loud if you use it above water.5. Accessories for this are pretty cool. It comes with a spray bar thats probably about 3 feet long. At first I hooked it up and it was so long it sank down in the water and looked nothing like the cool pics of spray bars I see. Then I thought about that fact that I got 8 suction cups with connectors on them. I only needed one or two for the input output hose so I connected one to the end of the spray bar and it fit perfectly. Now my spray bar is level out of the water and I can create a kind of love tunnel type thing and it sounds much better and ALSO distributes the filtered water much better. These suction cups stay on, I had a hard time with the fluval suction cups and the cascade 100 provides you with 8. you only really need 3 t 5 at the most.6. It looks nice its not loud and the base that it sits on is much much wider than the fluval so it wont accidentally fall over. thats a big deal if you have pets or kidsCONs1. the spray bar can be a little loud if you are using it above water to fall down into the tank but I like it and some people may as well.2. the carbon pack provided does not fit all the space mostly in the canister. it covers about 88%. with the fluval it cam with a custom sack that was large enough to cover the whole tray inside. At some point you will have to replace the carbon so if you wanted you could buy your own carbon somewhere and use some kind of product like pantyhose to make your own bag if you cant find anything for perfect fit. But either way I dont think its a big deal so I didnt worry about it.In probably 2 hours the tank stops smelling. In 14 hours I have crystal clear water from a filter thats quieter, much much easier to set up and cleans better than anything I have had before. I recommend this and I'd buy another one. if you are having troubles priming make sure you twisted the correct way to connect the hoses as tight as you can. you twist to make it go up towards the part you just connected. make sure you have the LONG plastic piece on the intake part and the short one on the outtake. Make sure all four clamps on the base are on properly and USE THE BALL OF YOUR FOOT THE PRIME IT QUICK> Once you see a little water fill up you sont have to go as quick. After it fills up it will push water through the out put and you can then plug it in. Easiest set up I have ever had. Less than thirty seconds. If you cant get this its probably not connected right or you are not doing it quick. Use your feetIf you cant afford this try the 700 and if thats still too much try the underwater cascade 600. the 600 is good to use if you have a cover and the hoses would get in the way. I have two on my other tank and they work awesome too and is more like a 3 in 1. I have done my research an am VERY happy with the 600 and 1000

So…1 new 75 gallon tank containing maybe 60 gallons of water, 1 very messy turtle who does get fed in the tank, 1 new Cascade 1000 filter with the included filter media only, and 1 person with no canister filter experience. All I knew was that I was tired of smelly cloudy water in his old 55 gallon tank with a fish tank filter only, and did not want to repeat the experience. Unfortunately, we had to put the turtle in the new tank about 3 days before the filter arrived, so as you can see from the first two ‘before’ pictures, we really put this filter to the test with totally smelly unfiltered water. There was a big difference in 24 hours, but It took about a week to get the awful water to become nicely see-through again, and a couple more days to get rid of most of the pond smell. The water did not get crystal clear until after the first filter change. The first filter media lasted about 3 weeks before the water began to cloud up, so I had to start the new media in slightly cloudy water, which it totally cleared after 3 days. I expect to only change the filter once a month or so now that the water quality is under control. **Update: It was 5 weeks before I decided to change the filter again, and the water was still clear.** When I changed the filter, I rinsed the bag of charcoal and the sponge biofilter in the water that was still in the filter after taking the baskets out. I put the bag of charcoal in the bottom basket again and the sponge biofilter in the top. I put a new bag of charcoal in the middle basket as well as floss in each basket. After reading some other suggestions, I also stuffed a little pillow floss around the top basket. **Update: This turned out to e a very good idea-see the last picture.** I will also probably use bio rings and only one new charcoal bag each change or two as time goes on.As a first-time canister filter user, I looked at all the reviews and pictures and filter media suggestions before deciding to purchase. This was the one that both fit my budget and had great reviews, so I decided to try it. It came with all the filter media in the three baskets in order, and with the shut-off valves put together. (Whew). I had no trouble putting it together, cutting the hoses to length, and priming it. I did discover you need to prime by pushing the button very fast. (After the first filter change, I did not need to prime, the hoses were already full of water, and I had put about an inch in the filter, so when I turned it on, everything started).I have included several pictures of my exterior filter and hose setup. It was difficult for me to find pictures that showed the whole setup in detail. I hope these will be helpful to other beginners. I understand how it works now, but had no idea in the beginning. I hung my hoses off the back of the tank next to the wall. (The top of my tank is 1 ¾ inches from the wall, the glass part is 2 inches from the wall. I cut my hoses to about 40 inches in length. The hoses do touch a bit of the wall, but I could get them off by moving the filter.) I put the filter directly below the tank and have it plugged into a power strip, which makes it easy to turn on and off. I have the filter in a plastic crate because I am paranoid, but have not had any leaks from anywhere in the system. It also makes clean up easier if I spill any water when I unhook the filter. The filter is almost silent after it fills. The ‘waterfall’ from the tube is quite loud, but natural sounding. I used three of the 4 aerator tubes to bring the water farther out into the aquarium. I get some water out of the tube holes, and the rest pours out the end. Turtle seems to enjoy playing in the waterfall. The suction cup holders do a great job holding the waterfall tubes out of the water – see picture, but are not able to hold the intake tube in place. I put 4 on it but destructo-turtle easily pulls the tube out of the holders. It still stays hooked over the side and does not move very much, but I will be glad when I can block it off and get gravel in the bottom to distract him.I am so impressed with this filter, my turtle never had it so good. Five stars isn’t enough.Update** I have had this filter running every day for the last 3+ years. Still nice clear water. I have been using bio-floss in each basket, a bio sponge on the top in the lower basket, activated charcoal on top in the middle basket, and bio-rings on top in the top basket. I still stuff floss down the side of the top basket.

This is the one filter that has survived my turtle's antics the longest. It's probably a 40-minute setup the first time around (if you're good with instructions). The packaging was very secure and well-insulated. The filter came with several optional attachments and strong suction cups for the waterfall. Instead using of the waterfall and plastic intake/outtake extensions, I just connect the rubber tubes and go from there. If you're on your 398th turtle filter and need something indestructible: 1. get rid of all small rock substrate 2. get this filter and watch the lady with a pet alligator build it on YouTube. This is my second purchase so I will post an update with pictures about what happened(the cons review lol).