Yeah UG, keeps my water crystal clear and I'm not overly fussy about frequent water changes. I dont want a high maintenance tank, I have been there and got the T-shirt with Marines and stuff.
Nitrates reach the normal 40ppm after several months. Its simple and effective, its works for me.
I have had all the internal/external canister filters, they do their job but they are extremely over-rated (In my humble opinion
).
UG prevents any static water movement in the gravel that would otherwise occur in power filter set-ups. This has the advantage of full water and sediment (gravel) recirculation, important when treating a tank with remedies or general water conditioners.
I dont feed the fish for one day in the week, this causes them to graze on any algae (plenty in my tank). They also forage around in the gravel, some bioturbation works wonders for the filter bed.
I have tried the cold water algae eaters, although they seem to graze on the microscopic rotifers/protozoa found in the algae, rather than the green stuff itself.