Cheapest Penn Plax Cascade 1000 Canister Filter up to 100 Gallon

I am happy with its performance
I used to have Fluval 404, Fluval 304 and Marineland canister. This one wins them all When my last Fluval leaks ( after 5 years) the new Fluval price went up too high so that I have to look for a different one. I am very happy with this one and so far it runs better the Fluval and Marineland:

Pros:
1. Prime is easy and just a about 5-10 push it pumps out all air and start working, faster than priming the Fluval.
2. Simple setup, you dont have to do much work.
3. Price is very low compare to Fluval or other branch. Cheapest.
4. Quiet.

Cons:
1. None so far but I only used it for 2 months, dont know how long it will last.

Very happy, worth the money
I used to have the penguin bio-filter on the back of my tank and the noise from the water splashing was too loud for me at night as the 37gal tall tank is right there by my bed. i searched for many days for the right price and rating, and for my tank it could be over kill on the filter, but i hope to upgrade to a 55 wide saltwater someday, so i wanted a filter that could upgrade too and also be quite. coming from the filter itself, all you hear is a claiming buzz, like the sound of a air pump, in fact, the 40 to 50 gal Tetra Whisper Air Pump is actually louder then the filter and thats amazing, when i plugged the filter in it shoots out bubbles for the first 15min. then goes quite and how it will be normally. if you touch it or move it it shoots out air bubbles. i also have it out in the open and not in a cabinet like most ppl would, as my tank is on my dresser. if it was in a wooded cabinet i am almost 100% sure you wouldn't be able to hear it, when i have my xbox on the fan on that is louder then the filter, and during the daytime sounds and commotion you wont notice it. as for the spray head, i dint use the 90degree fitting or the other fitting and i have the one spray bar horizontal in my tank and the fish love the current, its very strong for my tank, the red tailed shark loves it, and i cant tell half the time if its running unless i look at my plants moving. The water will be clear as air in about 1 hour, it looks so beautiful being this clear and i wonder if there is even water in the tank, my tank has no backdrop, and the wall color would look faded with my old filter, and with this running the next day there is no color change when looking at the wall to looking at it through the tank, amazingly clear water, i will deff. buy from this brand as i can with these amazing results, and why a 4*'s out of 5? because the hoses were easy to hook up, when i have the suction cups holding the tubes in place, the heavy duty hoses want to go back too their wound up positions, but after wrestling with them and after some time they will fit to the new shape of being stressed out. wonderful product, and i was hurting to spend the money on this, but after seeing the air like water and how clear it is, its worth every penny

Bought this based on ratings here.
And very pleased with results. I only hear the sound of the water from the spray bar - the pump is pretty silent. I had a bit of difficulty with getting it started... but thanks to the reviews I was finally able to get it to work... Pumping the primer like CPR helped! I have only used it for one day - but we shall see how clear it keeps the tank. I have four Red-eared sliders in the tank... they are dirty!

Love it!

Great Filter
I have owned two other higher priced filter systems in the past. They had seals and pumps that wore out quickly, and, when I tried to get the parts it was a nightmare extreme. I eventually threw them in the dumpster. I have not had to replace the pump or seals yet. I have owned this Cascade 1000 for about a year. The proceedure for priming after cleaning is open the exhaust first, plug in the motor, turn on the inlet, prime with the button until it runs clear ( about five pumps), and it is running smooth and without a sound. If you put your ear close you hear it run, but otherwise, more quite than any pump system I have owned. I use mine for a 30 gallon freshwater tank with a 3" cat, a 6" paleocostamus, and a 5" three spot ciclid. Once the tank righted itself, I have only changed the medium twice and one change of charcoal. The tank is crystal clear all the time for just over a year. This filter is fantastic so far. Try it you'll like it. THE PRICE IS RIGHT.

Penn Plax Cascade 1000
As a current owner of a smaller Penn Plax Cascade 500 model, I have been so impressed with the Cascade 500. So, when I need a bigger filter for my new and bigger tank, I stayed with Penn Plax, and ordered the Cascade 1000. This bigger model Cascade 1000 has the same solid build quality as expected from Penn Plax. The only issue I have with this Cascade 1000 is the noise level. With the Cascade 500, I have to get real close to the canister to hear the motor running, extremely quiet. I imagine that the Cascade 500 can be used in bed room. The Cascade 1000 is a different story. It works nicely, but with a much higher noise level. I could detect the motor running from 20ft away. I thought I got a defected unit, contacted Penn Plax, and they were very nice and send me a brand new motor with no charge. Unfortunately, the new motor produced the same noise level. So, I guess that's how noisy the Cascade 1000 makes. I think Cascade 1000 needs bigger motor to handle 100g, so it's noisier, not dead quiet like Cascade 500. The bottom line here is I would buy Cascade 500 again, again and again. But I may not buy Cascade 1000. It's a bit noisy for my taste. Maybe I am expecting a lot from such a big unit. I'd like to have this Cascade 1000 side-by-side with the Fluval 305 and test the noise levels. Cascade 1000 scores 3 stars out of 5, but good customer service from Penn Plax has earned its product another star.