# Penn Plax Cascade?



## John27 (Jun 6, 2010)

Hey all,

I went to a not so L, FS yesterday (it was amazing, might be an hour and a half away but based on the sheer incredible service, I'm not spending a dime anywhere else if I can at all avoid it, I am going to buy EVERYTHING from there from now on), anyway they had a brand of Canister filter, Penn Plax Cascade, that I had never heard of. Whenever you read comparison reviews it's always Eheim, Fluval and Rena. The bottom line was it was MUCH cheaper, and still seemingly as feature filled, I was looking at the 265 gph model for like $100.

The guy there says they are great, and when I read reviews online I mostly find people liking them, save for a few bad reviews (though some, I think are operator error, one for example, indicated a sound like "marbles being shook around inside" and then it failed after three months, if you ask me, someone put the media in wrong and it was swishing loose in the impeller!), but what astounds me is this not-as-popular filter is often reviewed by former Eheim and Fluval, even some Rena owners as being better THAN their old product! Some have even said they won't even buy another brand!

My question is, what is the consensus of this group here? Is there a reason I never hear anyone talk about them? Is it just that it's easier to find the others or, is it a deep dark terrible thing that is seldom mentioned around children?

-John


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

The Penn Plax Cascades have three things going for them.....

1. They are reliable, rarely breaking down.
2. They are the one of the most inexpensive Canisters out there.
3. They reprime easily. Restart after maintenance is never an issue

The Penn Plax Cascades have two things going against them.

1. Bypass is a major issue. I replaced my Cascade when I started finding intact plant leaves on top of my biofiltration in the top tray. For this to occur, a lot of water is moving around the trays, bypassing the filter media altogether.
3. I'm not sure of the cause (may be related to the bypass issue), but upon every restart I would get a blast of gunk from the hoses. While this is normal for most canisters, it was much more pronounced with my Cascade.

I hope this answers your questions. I personally would look for a different filter, primarily because of the bypass issue. But if cost is a major issue, they are worth looking into.

My Cascade is currently in a closet, delegated to the role of "emergency replacement filter". It was replaced with an Eheim 2217.


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## John27 (Jun 6, 2010)

Thanks Kmuda,

Okay so here are a couple possible scenarios, which one is best?

Either I buy the 1500 series canister, still cheaper than a much smaller eheim or fulval or otherwise, the 1500 series is rated for I believe 200 gallons (In a 75 gallon tank, remember).

Or, I buy a used Rena XP3.

Which would be my best bet? (Haven't completely tossed the idea of buying a new 'better' filter, but I am trying to save money setting up this aquarium.


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

Choosing between a used Rena and a new Cascade 1500, I would likely go with the new Cascade.

As I previously stated, if cutting cost is a significant concern, then the Cascades are absolutely worthy of a look. They are perfectly functional filters.


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