UV light yes or no

[kfbrown14]

i have a chance to upgrade my canister filter. the one i am interested in has a built in uv light what if any is the benefit of a uv light
or there any downfalls to the light

 

[bang guy]

I'm not a fan of UV. It can reduce algae outbreaks but it kills more good than bad organisims in a reef tank. Better suited for Fish Only tanks but most UVs are too underpowered to be useful. If it is strong enough with a low flow then it can reduce Ick and some other single celled parasites but it can't eliminate anything, just reduce. IMO something like a canister filter would either have too much flow to be a good UV unit or too little flow to be a good filter.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Im not a big fan of uv either. I feel like they should be reserved for systems with a lot of fish traffic like at a live fish store. Or for a tank that has a consistent green slime or greenwater problem. Most people but the cheapest uv but thats a big mistake. Mise well not even run one then.