Equipment Review and Discussion :: cascade canister filters

[mdawson808]

From the brief browsing I have done on this forum seems like the cascade canister filters and talked very highly. Is there a reason for this? I have 1 cascade 700 and 1 cascade 1000 filter in my 60 gallon tank and the water seems pretty darn clear. I really hope I didn't waste money on these cascade products.

[VeipaCray]

It's really not how clear your water is. Clarity can be achieved by simple water polishing. It's the ammonia and nitrite levels that matter. For that you need to measure with a test kit.

You're filtration is just about right for that size tank and matches the Cascade sizing recommendations... see this post:

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=30145#p288938

[mdawson808]

Ill purchase a test kit then I just took the gravel out and put sand in so it will be a good idea to check it out. What is this water polishing?

[VeipaCray]

The API drop based test kit is a good deal. You don't want any of those dip strips.. those are super inaccurate.

Water polishing is temporary filtering to remove particles suspended in the water (like sand). You use a very fine filter media to trap the particles quickly. Water polishing doesn't offer any biological or chemical filtration. Water polishing does nothing to keep your ammonia and nitrites in check. It's 100% mechanical filtration for water clarity. So if your sand has settled out and your water is still cloudy... you could pack your filter full of filter floss (pillow stuffing) and let it run for a day. The fine filter media will trap all of the sand particles and your water is crystal clear again. When done, you'd want to switch back to your regular filter media setup.

[Touche the Turtle]

I have the Cascade Canister Filter 1200 in a 65 gal but I'm looking to replace it. I've replaced tons of the peices over they years, including the powerhead, and I'm just not happy with the filtration these days. It used to work so well but now it's just not keeping up and it seems difficult to clean. I guess that makes sense why on that other thread it says up to 50 turtle gallons is recomended for that one.

Vepia- What's the filter you recommend? XP series? At this point I'm looking for something low on maintence and high on filtration- it'd be nice to not have to worry about it being too small even if I upgrade to 200 gal (hoping to do in the next 1-2 years).

[Touche the Turtle]

Also how water safe are they? Ever had leaks? I live in an apartment and have to be really careful not to ruin the place. Never had trouble with the Cascade as far as that goes, thankfully.

[VeipaCray]

Bang for the buck, hands down the FX5. You can get one on ebay for 200.

The XP4 is a very good filter, but it's 180. For $20 more the FX5 is a MUCH bigger filter. More flow rate and holds more media than the XP4.

I have both and can physiclally put the XP4 canister INSIDE the FX5. The FX5 is a beast.


No leaks we have hardwood floors throughout most of our house and my wife would kill me if they leaked. FX5 and XP4 are both very good in that aspect.

If you're specificly looking for a filter that leaks and causes a HUGE mess (drains half your tank on the floor) might I suggest the Marineland Magnum 350. That thing is a total POS.

[Touche the Turtle]

Hahaha OK- I like the sound of the beefy FX5- and only $200 is surprisingly cheep. I think I paid around $150 for my Cascade years and years ago when it was the biggest filter they stocked at petco.

[PridgNYC]

+1 on the FX5, I actually initially purchased the cascade 1200 before I bought my tank, thinking I was going to get a 55gallon tank, but ended up finding a 75gallon on craigslist, so I returned the cascade and got the fx5 and I love it. It is very quiet and holds a ton of media. (I have 5 500gram boxes of biomedia in there, 2 bags of carbon, and one bag of purigen, along with one of the blue floss pads) None of the media comes with the fx5 except the coarse sponges that fit around the outside of the media baskets, so keep that in mind.

Also, as ViepaCray said, it is huge, measure to make sure you have enough room to get it in and out from under your tank if you are using a tank stand with doors. You'll want at least 14inches of width, the top rim ranges from 13.5" (between the handles) to 15" (including handles).

[Touche the Turtle]

Good call, my turtle and her waterland tub have my whole dining room in our apartment, so there should be enough room. Though I do worry about the height, because her stand is only 1.5 ft tall. I usually try to keep the filter no higher than the lowest water level.

I don't think i've worked with purigen before. Do you have to replace that often?

[PridgNYC]

The fx5 is 21 inches high (that may include the hose connections, yep, just checked, the lid is 16.5 inches), and the lid must be at least 7.8inches below your water level.

As far as the purigen goes, I haven't replaced mine yet, but according to the manufacturer, 1L will treat 1000 gallons up to 6 months, I use a 100ml bag, so with my 3/4 full 75 gal tank, should be good up to a year with the carbon, we'll see. It also says that using it with carbon will extend its life, you can tell when it is exhausted when it turns dark brown (fresh it is white). It can be replenished by soaking overnight in bleach, and then soaking in a dechlorinator solution. I think most people get 2 100ml bags so they can just swap bags and regenerate the used one.

[VeipaCray]

I regenerate my purigen every month when I clean my canister. It exhausts well before 6 months when we're talking turtle. Seachem says you can regenerate Purigen 6 times before it needs to be replaced. I've been using this stuff for years now. In my experience, you can double that. So if you regenerate your Purigen every month, you need to replace it after a year.

If you go the route of getting two and swapping them back and forth, obviously you double the lifespan of a bag as you're only using it 6 months out of the year. So you'd replace them every other year.

It will not last 2 months without needing to be regenerated (even with carbon). The carbon only lasts a few weeks at best. There's no way Purigen will go a year.