Penn-Plax Cascade Canister Aquarium Filter (1500 Elite)

Ordered 2 elite units and received 2 regular ones without the extra filter media and other stuff specified which I payed an extra 20$ each for (40$ total). And they are extremely loud makes a lot of noise it is a bit Quieter if you put it on the floor so I recommend you don’t put it on the same level as the tank. The one makes like a whistling type sound and the other one makes a swishing sound every few minutes or so. The ones priming button didn’t work I had to fill it with water first and suck water through the output hose (swallowing fish water) in order to get it working. They’re louder than hang on the back filters. Extremely disappointed. I would not buy again or recommend to a friend. I would like a refund and to send them back. Don’t buy unless you don’t mind the sound. And also don’t buy the elite units it’s nothing different from the regular one and they charge an extra 20$ for it specifying extras but send a regular unit and it doesn’t come with any of the specified extras. Totally disappointed and feel like I got ripped off. Beware don’t buy the elite units total rip off. Paid 350$ and was sent the same thing I could of paid 300$ for.UPDATE: 7/10/18Contacted penn plex and they sent me 2 Additional units. Actual Elite units with the specified extras. Great company and great customer Support 5/5 stars the units also quieted down after a couple days of running. Great units for the price. Would recommended to a friend and will order again in the future. Thanks

So a fair number of negative reviews had me concerned. My Fluval 306 (55 Gal tank) started leaking and a new seal didn't fix. So I have 4-5 years experience. I wanted the most trays and lowest cost = value. This model likely overkill for a 55 Gal but I like it.Pros: Cost, 5 trays, a lot of extra media, detailed instructions and was easy to set up, I like the flow bar a lotCons: Louder than my 306 but acceptable, The box came pretty beat up but the inside box was ok, I was worried when I couldn't get flow and had to give it a pump or two when started to get it going (I filled cannister first but it may not have drained/filled completely). A lot of floss media If you have a dirty tank I can see it clogging up quickly but as I said there is other provided media.Conclusion: Recommend: Great Value, read directions! and check your media after 2-4 weeks if you use the floss.

The unit is great but the media included seriously degraded quickly into a mess. This floss is 2 months old and started coming apart to the point that it could easily get sucked into the impeller and ruin the motor. I've had other units quit working suddenly. Now I'm wondering if this is why...

Cascade canister filters generally get the best reviews or tie with other top brands. We have a turtle in about 35 gallons of water. She’s messy. And she likes to push on the tubing and see what she can use in an escape attempt and what she can sinply destroy for amusement. Luckily, this filter has been holding up after I anchored it in place with some minor (easy) adjustments such as tying it from above.Some helpful advice. When starting it up, put it where you want it (at the same level or below the tank) and pour treated water into the filter until it’s pretty much filled up. This means you will have less to pump when you start it up. If that’s too difficult because of placement, you can just pump a few times and then walk away for a bit. It should slowly start filling and take 10-15 minutes but sometimes that does not work. Also, try not to kink your tubes. The shortest and most direct path seems the best. You can always buy more tubing Pretty cheap. I snipped off a two inch piece and used it as a turtle toy.When it comes to the filters inside the canister, each type of pet is different. Remember that the water goes into the canister and down the sides before entering the filters, meaning that the bottom filter is the first filter that the tank water passed through. That should be your course filter. The top is the last and should be your fine filter.For our painted turtle, we use charcoal somewhere near the top of the stack and leave it there for several cleanings before replacing. We use cermic media near the bottom to purposely help grow the good bacteria that is naturally there and keeps our turtle healthy.Cleaning the canister filter depends on so many factors. See how it looks in a month or less and go from there. I think we clean ours every 1-2 months. Constant water changes help but a lot of debri gets in the filter before we have a xhance to add more water. The ceramic media meant to grow good bacteria is best just rinsed off in tank water (removed from the tank first and then tossed) and the rest of the filters can be rinsed out in the bath tub under running water. Remember to keep things in the right order.