UV Sterilizer -- To Get or Not to Get

they have come down in price considerably over the last few years... especially internal models... especially the gkm and ebay models.

as far as STRONGLY advocating goes... i have one... plumbed in... and use it everyday... and can say without a shadow of a doubt they don't provide all the benefits people who STRONGLY advocate them BRAG about. (we know how peeing contests can get). the single best purchase one can put onto/into a tank is an educated one (ie: stocking with compatible fish or using the appropriate size filter (not according to manufacturers suggestions), co2 on a high light tank, etc., etc. ... i can think of a dozen better purchases off the top of my head [not that uv isn't great, mind you]).
 
I have a GKM 24w. It helped with a chronic low level columnaris & cyano. The little sponge prefilter got clogged pretty fast. The water was a bit crisper & clearer. After using it for a couple months it has lived in the basement.

It was never a high priority purchase, I knew it wasn't going to work miracles but it seemed to help & I'm not sorry to have it.
 
GET ONE! I have a thread on mfk about this very thing...I had one laying around and my buddy swears by them not only to get rid of algae but to make your tank crystal clear...It made my tank (which had no algae problem at all and was already clear) STUNNINGLY clear. here is a pic sorry for the bad pic but I wish you could see the difference its amazing....

P1020833.JPG

P1020833.JPG
 
GET ONE! I have a thread on mfk about this very thing...I had one laying around and my buddy swears by them not only to get rid of algae but to make your tank crystal clear...It made my tank (which had no algae problem at all and was already clear) STUNNINGLY clear. here is a pic sorry for the bad pic but I wish you could see the difference its amazing....

View attachment 132907
excellent example...
 
AquariaCentral.com