Priorities for Nano setup

[Dozo]

I have had my Biocube 29 since January and you could say it is still in its infancy. Currently my stock is a few corals and a CUC and am currently battling what I believe to be cyano and green algae. I know some would say, "you've had an aquarium for 4 months and still don't have a fish?" but I know the number one thing to this hobby is slow and steady makes a good tank. So right now my setup includes about 10 pounds of pukani dry rock, a couple pounds of live rock, 15 pounds of dry sand, jager 100w heater, and chaeto in the second chamber. I am trying to figure out how I want to go on filtration on this tank before I invest the big bucks in stocking it; it seems everyone has a different opinion on how to do it, and I've seen many good looking tanks with different setups.

The things I think I need for this aquarium is a RO/DI system, the InTank media basket, possibly a protein skimmer, an aquarium controller, and a powerhead for creating more random flow in the tank. Right now the big decision is whether to go with a protein skimmer or not. I've heard that with all the junk they pull out, some beneficial stuff can be lost as well. But then I've heard that protein skimmers are the core of a reef tanks filtration. So If you all have a setup like this, what would you do or have done differently to recreate a little chunk of the ocean? My budget isn't enormous so lets say I had around $250 to spend?

 

[scowiii]

Patience Daniel Son. Slow and steady always seems to be the best bet. Unless you have tons of cash and want to replace alot of corals and fish you are doing the best thing possible and just taking your time.