penn plax cascade 700... YIKES!

[TankBoss]

Just learned about getting what you pay for again. I have had this filter around 3 weeks and decided to do a cleaning?... garbage. Sealing rings all useless after 3 weeks! Taking it back. Anybody familiar with Fluval 305? On my way to lfs

 

[Crepe]

I've used both penn plax and fluval. I would say the penn plax is a decent filter I never have troubles with mine. I also own a fluval 305 great filter. I suggest it.

 

[TankBoss]

I've used both penn plax and fluval. I would say the penn plax is a decent filter I never have troubles with mine. I also own a fluval 305 great filter. I suggest it.

The cascade 700 impeller sealling ring? Will not go back on and I have tried so many times its starting to tear. After 3 weeks! Do you buy bags of these rings and just toss torn ones until you get it right? As it is right now I put the impeller back on with half of the ring not fitting where its supposed to. I couldn't be getting full flow now.

 

[Crepe]

nope. I've not replaced anything in the year its been operating. I do suggest being gentle with the ball valves. They are poorly made and if you turn it too far it'll start to leak. More annoyingly it'll start sucking air through the gaps and make the filter loud.

Preserving o-rings is pretty simple. Get some silicone grease at the hardware store and cover your o-rings with em. Don't use petrol jelly simply because petrol products tend to decay rubbers and plastics. Silicone grease is reef safe and non-corrosive. It's like a very fine clay mixed with sillicone.

 

[TankBoss]

nope. I've not replaced anything in the year its been operating. I do suggest being gentle with the ball valves. They are poorly made and if you turn it too far it'll start to leak. More annoyingly it'll start sucking air through the gaps and make the filter loud.

Preserving o-rings is pretty simple. Get some silicone grease at the hardware store and cover your o-rings with em. Don't use petrol jelly simply because petrol products tend to decay rubbers and plastics. Silicone grease is reef safe and non-corrosive. It's like a very fine clay mixed with sillicone.

Thanks for the tips

 

[TankBoss]

Bought the Fluval (last one, missing gasket, took it back, got Eheim 80 gal)
It was an emergency so it didn't matter. The set-up was nice and easy but I don't even really know what I have yet. I'll have to read up at work.

 

[Brad.Sedore]

which eheim did you get? i have used all the recent ones . most of them seem to work great except for Pro 3s which seem to be garbage. watch when restarting them as they like to get air locked. you end up sitting there like an idiot sucking on the outlet to no avail then bam mouth full of dirty fish water

 

[TankBoss]

which eheim did you get? i have used all the recent ones . most of them seem to work great except for Pro 3s which seem to be garbage. watch when restarting them as they like to get air locked. you end up sitting there like an idiot sucking on the outlet to no avail then bam mouth full of dirty fish water

Eheim ecco 2236 up to 80 gal

 

[TankBoss]

Eheim ecco 2236 up to 80 gal

Haha... been there. Not with the Eheim yet. Just got it running and took off for work

 

[johmartz]

Just learned about getting what you pay for again. I have had this filter around 3 weeks and decided to do a cleaning?... garbage. Sealing rings all useless after 3 weeks! Taking it back. Anybody familiar with Fluval 305? On my way to lfs

i've had my cascade 1200 for almost 4 months now and never had to do anything with the impeller o-ring. i only clean the media trays. just added another 1200 to replace the magnum 350 which went to my 40 gallon tank and no problem with the 2nd one. my 75 gallon african cichlid tank has now 2 cascade 1200 running smoothly. what's best is it costs a lot less than a fluval filter with the same capacity.

 

[TankBoss]

Ok... I'll admit its too soon for me to make a call one way or the other on the Cascade or Penn Plax... I was kinda freaking out because I decided to clean the filter 3 hours before work, in the evening, and wasn't prepared to have to change O rings and didn't have any silicon lube. I'll definitely be better prepared for cleaning my Eheim before maintenance gets here.