Penn-Plax Cascade 20 Power Filter – Mini Hang-On Filter with Quad Filtration – Great for Freshwater and Saltwater Setups, (Model: CPF6)

I've only had it a week so no input on durability, but it's perfect so far. No leaks, quiet, and plenty of room to use your own filter media combo. The only reason I gave just 4 stars is because the filter cartridges made for it are not very good. Thin, sloppy fit and much of the water goes around it. I just buy media pads and cut to fit. Very easy, WAY better filtering, and cheaper in the long run. A layer of poly pad and a layer of carbon fit perfect and flow great. I have it on a 5 gal betta tank. As long as it proves durable I'm very happy with it.Update: It's been almost a year and it still works perfect. Silent, no leaks, no probs at all. Now 5 well earned stars. I purchased the Cascade 80 a couple months ago and it also has been perfect.5yr update: Still works fine, but recently started rattling a bit. To be fair though it's gotten jammed on and even ground up literally hundreds of tiny pest snails over the years. That plus the high mileage and I couldn't be happier for under $12. A little petroleum jelly in the impeller hole and a coat on the magnet will silence it, but only for a few days. I'm back to buy another. I'm still cutting my own pads, spaced in front with a lil bit of air hose. My latest picture is with 2 layers of carbon as it's just supplemental on a bigger 10g tank now, but 1 layer of poly pad and 1 of carbon is my usual way to go as a main filter. Oh, and my just as old and constantly running Cascade 80 is still as strong, silent and reliable as new w/o any fixes. It's nice & dirty & coated w/ good bacteria :). Lol

This review is for my initial use of the #20 Cascade filter. I promise I will update, if my expectations go south. I am using this filter in a 15-gallon rimless tank that already has a sponge filter in it. There is little water movement with the sponge filter alone. Now, the water flowing from the Cascade is slightly moving the leaves of a Crypt about 20 " away. This is wonderful.My tank is 3 1/2" from the wall. This gap limits what filter can be used. Also, my glass top allows for just 1 1/2" for the spillway. This Cascade works just fine with those measurements.As far as noise goes...yes, there's some when it first primes itself, but after it gets going the noise virtually stops. I did remove the top though, because it did rattle a bit. That may have been the noise some reviewers complained about (?). Very satisfied with the results.I added my own mix of media with floss as the last material the water passes through. The filter body is transparent giving you a good indication when the media needs changing. Like that.It's critical to always have water in the motor's side of the filter before plugging it in. Otherwise, the motor will burn-out pronto. This is the loudest time as the motor goes to work filling the filter box. This noise ceases once the box is full. Also, just enough water remains in the motor's compartment-side when the filter is turned off making a safe restart possible. This has been my experience since I have the filter on a timer.The plastic has a solid feel to it, and its blue color has a warm ambience. That's a bonus.So, this is only the beginning. What's up ahead?

We bought this to replace a Topfin filter we had which suddenly stopped working. This filter is rated for a smaller tank which was good for our 5 gallon tank. However, it only has one filter instead of the 3-step filter that the Topfin had. And that showed very quickly. After only 4 or so days of cleaning the tank, the murkiness of the water started and a day or so later, some serious algae and other things started proliferating. It clearly lacked the filters that should come with any filtering system, no matter for how small a tank. Our betta also didn't enjoy the "waterfall" that the filter made the way he did the Topfin one. We ended up getting another Topfin G10 filter which has the 3 filter system. The water now is staying clear between cleanings, and out betta is again happily playing in the waterfall. :-)

I am using this small filter for my 3 gallon dwarf puffer tank and it works pretty well. This fits right on the side of my mini tank with no problems at all. For my puffers this is a little high powered when it comes to the water coming out, but I do have it turned down most of the way. One problem with that, the water flow does not seem enough to get all the way through the tank, so some spots look like sitting water. Overall though this does have good suction power, I can sit and watch pieces going into the filter so I know it is working properly. For the most part this is quiet, but it does have some occassion it picks up noise for some reason. For the purpose I am using this, it works out pretty well for the limited choice of "Real" small filters.

I was surprised at how well this filter works for how small it is!!! Aquarium is clear and there isn’t any accumulation on the bottom of the tank.

The media could not be loaded. I like this little filter. It’s quiet, and seems to be doing the trick. I did just get it yesterday, however my betta is happy so I am happy.Sadly, since this initial review I have gone through 2 of these. I added a video on the latest one I received today. After a little while, when you unplug the filter to clean the tank, the filter will just stop working all together. The motor will not attempt to turn back on. It’s weird. Newest video is from my order I received today.