Penn-Plax Cascade 150 Power Filter – Hang-On Filter with Quad Filtration – Great for Freshwater and Saltwater Setups

The story of my review may be like a few others . I ordered the first Penn Plax Cascade Aquarium and it arrived on time and by appearance not damaged. Putting it together was easy. I put it in my 20gal fish tank. I plugged it in and the motor and impeller started up and it started to work just fine. I then checked on it about an hour later and the motor was humming and the impeller had stopped. I took it out and checked the directions and all was correct. I put in back into the tank and it ran for about a minute and then the impeller stopped working. I tried to hand turn the impeller by hand but it would not work. While the unit worked initially it seemed to be doing a good job and the motor was very quiet. So I put in a return request. I received a response within a few hours. I returned the unit and within 3 days my replacement came. I put it together and plugged it in and tested it in my sink. It worked just fine. I then put it into the tank. Again it worked fine. I checked on it in an hour and it was working perfectly. I have now had it 2 weeks and I love it. No problems, motor quit and it does a good job to keep the water clean. I like the option of being able to adjust the water flow. I would highly recommend this product. My only advice is that after you put it together test it first before putting it into your fish tank. I was impressed with Amazon's return policy. I have been buying from Amazon for more then 6 years and purchased almost 80 items, this was only the 2nd time I had to return an item. I gave it 5 stars because not matter what the item is or where you purchased it you will get lemon from time to time. In the end the new returned item worked great.

The adjustable flow is nice but the range of adjustment is pretty small. The Tidal by Seachem can be adjusted all the way down to a drip (probably not great for the motor), but this filter doesn't let you adjust the flow very much. Other than that, it's a great filter. Very very quiet. I picked up the 35 gallon version and have it on a 20 gallon on my desk. I can't hear the filter at all, aside from the water movement itself. This filter is not self priming (meaning you have to fill it with water when setting it up or after you clean it) but it's not a problem at all, just scoop up a little tank water and fill up the filter, then plug it in. The Tidals are self priming which is nice, but they also require the tank level to be quite full since they skim the surface, which means I have to shut them off before doing a water change. The Cascade I can do my water changes and leave the filter running through almost the whole change, but it does not skim the surface. Could be a con for some, but is a pro for me since I have a lot of floating plants that clog up the Tidal constantly. Not really a point against the Tidal though since that's the intended design, and it works great if you don't have a lot of small floating plants. This filter works great for Betta tanks. I wrap some coarse sponge around the inflow to prevent anything from getting sucked against the grate. The grille on the outflow is great. At higher flows it evenly distributes the flow and softens it slightly, on lower flows it turns the outflow into split streams, which won't annoy or stress Betta :).

Easy to assemble and Works well.motor is quiet but water splashing down is bit noisy for my liking otherwise very satisfied and would recommend highly

I bought this filter as an upgrade for a 30 gallon tank I keep which also has a sponge filter for it, so I keep it stocked higher with my fish and snails! I knew my snails would breed more soon so I thought I'd upgrade my 5-7 gallon HOB secondary filter to something much better and got this one. Good lord, the Cascade filter is great. I have other tanks with a so-called "whisper" filter on it which came with it and are advertised on their quietness and efficiency... but this Cascade filter right away was the quietest filter I ever heard! Literally the next week I waited and I still could only hear the bubbling of the main sponge filter over the gentle trickle of the Cascade. It is an amazing singular filter, and works excellently also as a secondary if you can position it or adjust the outlet to where you need for your tank. Could be excellent to add if you learn you need a current for your new fish.

I spent many days researching different aquarium filters. I wanted something that would get the job done but that would do so without being so powerful that the fish wouldn't have a chance against it. This is the filter I came up with. I offered plenty of suction and cycles; however, it also had a flow adjuster that would allow me to reduce the flow during the fish's feeding time. I received exactly what was described. I have a 10-gallon tank, and this filter is a bit of overkill for a tank this size, but it does a superb job of keeping the water crystal clear. I've been changing the filter about once every month, and this seems to be the proper changing frequency. The only negative I'd say is that I wish the flow rate of the water being returned back into the tank were a little more variable. While I am able to reduce it some, it's still too strong to keep the fish food from being forced all through the tank in a matter of second. However, my fish have learned to be ready once they see me opening the hood at the front of the tank. They immediately move to the middle portions of the tank, which is where a majority of the food usually ends up! Thus, without a doubt, I recommend this filter (and size) to anyone with 10 gallons/above.

I purchased this filter when I bought a new 10 on tank for my fish in the end of November 2020. I noticed a high count in my 10 gallon. After doing a 50% water change, rinsing out the filters from that filter, I want to make sure it was running. I'm good reason my nitrate count was so high! I'm not sure how long it's been since that filter stopped working. I think I cleaned the filter pieces two weeks ago in my weekly water change and it seem to be working then. Since it's been longer than the return time from Amazon, I've been up having to trash it. It's not the impeller of the actual pump unit, as there is no power generating into the pump. I went to look for a replacement pump for this unit and I cannot locate any. That is a real nuisance. I have a small filter for a 2 gallon rescue tank that I'm forced to use until I order a new filter from Amazon. It does a really good job as I've had to use it in one of my 5 gallon tanks when the small back filter pump got clogged with plant debris and stopped. I used to clear the tank out once I got the pump working again. So, I'm sure I can actually recommend this filter at all. It ran OK in my 10 gallon. I have a lot of plants with a normal number of fish for a 10 gallon. I do, thankfully, have a sponge filter and when I went to clean the sponge off in the discarded water from the tank, I saw the water turn almost black. So, I'm very thankful then at least my sponge filter I was helping. I was very surprised at the nitrate level when I had just done at 50% water change in that tank last weekend. OK, I suggest you beware folks when looking for a new filter for your tank. I'm off to get another filter. I definitely will NOT use this brand if I can avoid it. Also, those internal air powered sponge filters are amazing. I have two running in my 10 gallon now while I figure out what to do about a filter and using that small rescue pump. Just an FYI, I bought 2 UPETTOOLS Aquarium Biochemical Sponge Filter from Amazon. One went into a 5 gallon, And the second one went into that poor 10 gallon tank. Set a 10 gallon tank is now running to sponge filters as well as the rescue filter. If you want to get your tank clean, I do highly recommend any internal sponge filter. I'm surprised how well they work. Not great for debris, like a hanging filter does, but I absolutely love them.

Going write a honest review here: I have used a Cascade 1500 canister filter for years and it has its kinks with it but honestly love the thing so much. I recently setup a smaller tank (29g) upstairs for the bedroom and always used aqua clears for my prime filters and like to run a second filter for back up polish filter that doesn’t cost as much , so I decided I’ll give this filter a go for that route to second my aqua clear 50 , so I get it and set it up and the thing is not quit at all ( yes I know HOB filters can hum and all that good Jaz) but I mean loud , so is a good filter yes , but a great filter no , would I recommend it , no but there canister I would

Bought this filter (Cascade 150) to replace an older filter that had no bio-sponge. The water was constantly cloudy, so we decided a better filter would be helpful. Immediately we noticed that this filter ran quiet, so quiet in fact that we couldn't hear it running at all. After a few hours running, we noticed the water begin to clear. The next morning the tank was clearer than it had ever been. A few days passed and the tank turned crystal clear, and the fish seem very happy and healthy. This filter is quiet, powerful, and the cartridges are easy to change and not expensive. It made a huge difference in my aquarium (20g.) and I would recommend it to anyone with a 20-30g tank. Definite 5 star rating.

Really nice, filters the water really well and really quiet at that

Nice and quiet, although outlet not as adjustable as advertised. The intake should be fully submerged, or the motor becomes damaged and sounds awful

filter worked less than a week then the motor stopped working

Cleans your tank like a much more expensive unit, filters are always available online or at most pet stores

Great product & perfect for my mid size fish tank.