beblondie said:Its not necessary,its the ultimate ''toy'' for freshwater.A few things you need to remember
it goes inline after the filter
you'll need either a canister or sump or seperate pump with prefilter
install shutoff valves as UV filters need monthly cleaning
to kill parasites it needs the correct flow and exposure
the bulb need replacing yearly if not more often(buy a cpl of extra bulbs)
UVs only take care of floating green algae(greenwater) not the algae that forms on glass or decoration.
UV light can effect some medications
turn off unit before doing maintenence UV sterilizers use a very narow band
of UV lightwaves but that band can be bad for your eyes-Anne
It can kill beneficial bacteria but you need to expose the bacterial colonies to
it.Since it is shielded from your filters and tanks it would be rare not to mention hard to destroy your biofilter
I disagree i used have problems with algae now i dont since installing the Uv, using the same lights..
