Penn Plax Cascade 400 Submersible Aquarium Filter Cleans Up to 20 Gallon Fish Tank With Physical, Chemical, and Biological Filtration, CIF2

I've recently upgraded my tank size and changed my filter to a different brand. The time I did use this though it was great. I do plan to use this filter again for an upcoming project that I'm working on so I'm not just throwing it into storage because I really does have good filtration. Like some of the other reviews, I was quick to throw away the carbon cartridge and use my own mixture of media instead. I'm not a fan of carbon which is a heavily debated topic for aquarium enthusiasts. Anyway, pros and cons. Pros: - Works great out of the box and is pretty quite. I slept very easy with the filter on - The attachments are nice to have for multi use cases to ensure you get all the uses you can out of the filter - Cleaning is very easy - The bio sponge is very thick and has a good amount of surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow in. It will probably last you a very long time as long as you clean it properly and don't have any bad water cycles running through it Cons: - The attachments are very cheap feeling - The filter itself feels cheaply constructed so be gentle with it - The suction cups do this filter no justice and pop off easily - The way the filter pulls water in can actually start pulling gunk up into the media chamber past the initial bio sponge so I had to make a black square with my own bio sponge to block any open spots to keep my media clean Despite the cons, for the price: 5/5 all around If you just need a filter to do it's job on a 10-20 gallon tank this is your best bet in terms of having a submersible filter with bio, mechanical, and chemical filtration at this price point. If you are going any larger on tank size I cannot recommend this product line and suggest you look else where. Just my 2 cents.

My 10 gallon planted tank has horrible substrate that clouds the entire tank up for a week every time I stir anything up. It also had a severe algae problem due to the high light requirements of my plants, overdosing fertilizers, and temporarily being overstocked by my juvenile angelfish. My old filter from a different brand got clogged up with nasty algae and broke, so the tank got really bad in the 2 days it took my to get this new filter. Boy, am I amazed by it! I chose to use the spray bar attachment instead of the jet output, because I didn't want to stir up my plants, and this tank is supposed to be a betta tank. The current is strong enough to gently move the hairgrass but not too strong to blow everything around. I had to remove the middle compartment with the carbon because the filter was just a little too tall for my setup. As you can see, the horrible condition of my tank improved drastically in only 3 days! I believe it's important to note a few of the concerns addressed by other reviewers. 1. The spray bar popping off. I found out that when you first stick it on, the spray bar looks like it is attached, but when you look very close you may notice it's not quite on. Push it harder and you'll hear a click. Now it's very secure and isn't going to pop off any time soon. 2. Fish sucked up through the bottom. This had to be a defective product for those reviewers, because I tried figuring out how such a thing was possible and if the filter is properly assembled and not broken on arrival it is most definitely not possible. The holes in the bottom are no larger than a typical filter input strainer, so if your fish are large enough to not get sucked into a standard filter there is no risk of them getting sucked into this one. Baby fish, yes. My very small neons love to hang out under the filter and they haven't had a problem. I did sadly lose one to a water change siphon a few weeks ago, so I feel if anything's going to be sucked up they are pretty prime candidates. 3. Noise. When my filter came in the mail the carbon compartment had popped open and little pieces of carbon had gotten everywhere, including inside of the impeller compartment. It took a lot of careful disassembling and jiggling for me to get it out, and it was very rattle-y until I did. That may very well have been the problem for those unlucky reviewers as well. This filter is so quiet I can't tell it's on if not for the very nice current it makes. My other tank has significantly louder filters. Overall I think so far this is the best internal filter I've bought, and I've bought 5 different brands over the past 10 years, so that's saying something.

I have a Mississippi Map turtle named Blu….after my favorite color and he just looks like a Blu to me…lol!! I got him as a Christmas gift from my sister, which she got one as well. I’ve had him for about 2 years now. I currently upgraded his turtle tank to a 20 gallon, but he’s growing fast, so upgrading to a 40 gallon take is in his near future. The current filter I was using was just ok!! The sponge was on the outside of the filter and everything found it’s way to this sponge. That’s when it happened, it happened…..Blu started picking at, trying to get the leftover food it caught, then when cleaned he started to keep picking at until it was destroyed….lol!! So, I decided to buy a new filter and this one is one of the better ones I’ve found. Listen, I researched and researched many products and reviews of a lot of filters, cause it very important to keep Blu’s tank up to a map turtles standards and care. I was glad that I can still use it when I upgrade his tank. I like the fact that it has an air flow option and a spray option. I was looking to provide aeration in the tank to help keep the tank clearer and to provide some bubbles and flow in the tank. I was surprised how tall it was, because I put it to size it up against the tank, it was maybe not going to work. But, I saw some videos on where to place it. As, you can see from the pictures I had to kind of tilt it so it can be fully immersed in the tank water line. I have basking platform that at the highest point of the tank and if I filled that take up more then the basking area would be underwater, and that was not an option!! I made it work though!! The air flow has three speeds I chose the lowest just to let Blu get used to the filter and the air flow and let’s not forget the BUBBLES!! He loves swimming against the flow and he loves the BUBBLES!! He’s a happy turtle now, it took a couple of days for him to destress from all the new things in his tank!! He’s the cutest and the most playful turtle I’ve ever had!!!

Let me start by saying I was dedicated to Tetra for years until I bought a filter that wouldn't work at all, thinking it was just a fluke I bought another one and the same thing happened. After a month of messing with it and it failing time after time I got online and started searching and finally decided to try this. I LOVE THIS FILTER. It's currently in a snail tank that doubles as a nursery for any baby fish that get born. These aren't just your little pond snails either, I have huge apple snails, rabbits and ramshorn all of which are poop machines plus my tanks are planted so the filter has to deal with little pieces of plant matter getting sucked up, it took everything like a champ. I have it laid down in my tank on its side and with the plants in front of it you can't really even see it. I'm going to buy 2 more for my other tanks.

I had this same filter for a few years but it started to make noise. After doing everything to change that it still made noise so I purchased a new one just like it, since I thought it worked great in my turtle tank. Well, this new one is even louder than the previous one. It hums and buzzes loudly, again I tried things to quell that. I did not want my turtle to be exposed to this noise 24/7 (plus the tank is in my bedroom, I couldn't even sleep with it on). Looking for a new and different one.

I like to use two filters in my tank, a HOB and a submersible. I love this little filter. It does a great job with helping to keep things clean even with my dirty goldfish, circulates the water better in my 75 (compared to just one filter hanging on one side of the tank), and the two options for spray bar or aeration are unbeatable. It's not perfect, but for the price and options its a great value.

Terrible. It worked great for an hour, then it broke and became loud for no absolute reason. The carbon filter doesn't seem to fit correctly. Poorly constructed. I had a cascade 300 for a very long time that worked great. I bought a new one when i move out of pure laziness. But that one eventually became loud and would break own every so often. I thought upgrading to the 400 would be better. Wow was i mistaken. don't waste your money on this. I have to throw this thing away and return all the extra bio and carbon filters i bought for it. what a disappointment. i'd give no stars if i could.

This is my second time buying! I have the 50 gallon one and two 20 gallon filters in my 20 gallon long tank. I have African Clawed Frogs which are so dirty but the 50 has held up well for so long. The 20’s work good too! I appreciate the silence, since it doesn’t splash water at the top. Other comments complain about noise but you just have to turn it on it’s sides in the water to get the stuck air out. If there’s air in the system it’s SO loud. The tube with the holes is perfect for my frogs too because they prefer a low flow. 10/10 recommend. I also take out the carbon filter area and but in ceramic filter media. Just a personal preference

Bon flux, belle conception, silencieux.

PEDI DOS Y LLEGO. UNO SIN NINGUN TIPO DE PROTECCION APARTE CON SEÑALES DE USO COMO RASPADURAS, NO EN UN SOLO LUGAR SI NO QUE POR TODAS PARTES. SE NOTA QUE NO SON PRODUCTOS NUEVOS, AL MENOS LA CAJA DE MEDIOS FILTRANTES DE LOS DOS EN PESIMAS CONDICIONES. NUNCA HABIA PAGADO PRODUCTOS NUEVOS Y RECIBIDO USADOS. REAL MENTE ESTOY DEMASIADO DECEPCIONADO.

Very good fliter and powerfull. Needs to be carefull with gallons of aquarium.

Al muy poco tiempo el motor de derritio

Well i own this about a week. and just notice the bubbler isnt working very good. i have own other version like 600 and no issues with that one so far.. If you purchased the Version 400 make sure check the bubbler first..