UV Sterilizer on a Reef tank?

[nikonosis]

Is it bad to run a UV sterilizer on a reef tank and if not how long do you recommend running it per day?

[nikonosis]

46 views and not a single person knows the answer?

[steve70]

Not good on a cycling tank, I run mine 24/7

[divedog99]

I run mine 12 hours a day just to keep some of the invert food i use from being destroyed

[GlassShark]

I have a 700 gallon reef system and run 120 watt unit 24/7

[romanr]

I run my 25W unit 24/7. It seems counterintuitive to run one but it has help to reduce algae blooms and has made ick totally disappear in my 65G reef tank. I think that the general consensus would be to not run one but hey, there are people that advocate a skimmer-less setup and that just doesn't make much sense to me but what do I know! The wattage, design and flow through the unit will dictate how much reduction of micro-organisms you will impact on your system. I don’t think you want to have it setup so that you run a sterile system but some sort of happy medium. Some achieve this effect by not running their unit 24/7.

[aquaman3680]

I run a undersized 8 watt UV on my 90 24/7... never really had a disease problem or algae... just wish a UV would get rid of flatworms!

[JM68]

If you are going to use one i would say run it 24/7 if not its not going to do what its supposed to and you'd be better off saving the money and not getting one. That said i would never run a tank, reef or FO, without one. I think their benefits outweigh the negative effects by far.

[Goodwood]

I run mine 24/7, I like UV

[nikonosis]

I was just curious because someone in my club said they are bad for reef tanks but I had already talked a deal with someone else in my club to buy one from them. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't making a mistake.

btw thanks for all the replies!