Biocube protein skimmer needed? Cyano issue

We're getting some cyano growth and I'd like to stop it. Tank has been running about 8 weeks and water tests after day 4 have read:
Ammonia/Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: > 10. Have been 0 the last month
Salinity 1.026
Alk 9dKh
Calcium 460
Temp 79*
pH 8.3
Very stable water test results. We feed every 2 days. Shut the pump off and target feed the corals, fish and shrimp cyclopeeze or mysis. Then pump back on to clear any that's missed. Change filter floss every weekend. 15% water change every weekend also. Tank is under PC lighting. 12 hour full lights with an hour before and after just actinics. Everything in the tank looks happy and healthy and haven't lost anything.

Converted the back of the biocube to have filter floss, purigen and chemipure with a fuge via inTank media baskets. Made a fuge light and stuffed some chaeto in the fuge. We are getting bubbles from it indicating that things are going well. I have a MaxiJet 1200 with me to install today to boost flow a bit. I don't want to clean cyano if I don't have to.

I'm also working on a DIY LED setup to help with lighting. Is a protein skimmer needed? Also, will the BioCube skimmer work well enough or is a better one needed? I'd prefer to not treat with Chemiclean if I can avoid it. The lights out for 3 days doesn't seem to "fix" the issue either.

ALL water that's ever touched the tank is RO/DI water. Salt is Instant Ocean Reef Crystals

 

your maintenance routine sounds ideal to me, Jimmy

can you get an image up? as that saves me asking you to list the inhabitants

additional flow can definitely help with Cyno issues IME

is the bio cube skimmer collecting skimmate for you? depends a lot on stocking levels
as to if its efficient enough for you

manually syphoning at water change time combined with increased flow
has proven effective for me, in majority of cases I have had involving cyno

depending on coral types being kept - Phosgaurd the aluminunm phosphate remover from Seachem, this has also proven effective in one case of cyno I had a year or so ago

Steve

 

I have fought that battle a few times. The only thing that works for me is to:

1. suck out all that you can get to when you do a wc.

2. Use this yellow powder stuff(forgot name, I believe its Red Slime remover) to rid the Cyno. Its is reef safe.

3. Keep lights out for like 3-4 days. And it will be gone.

Importantly, suck out as much as you can!

 

Thanks for the maintenance comment... I try to be as careful as possible and I think some of the tips I've picked up from this site have certainly aided in my very solid and consistent water parameters.
I can maybe tomorrow or so... We set it up at my gf's house, as I'll be moving there over the next month or so. I'm at my apartment this weekend due to taking a motorcycle course. I don't have a protein skimmer at the moment.
We just have a pair of Percs, fire shrimp and the CuC... and corals. I picked some of it out today with my hands and scrubbed some off some open rock. We also have an open brain coral that was half alive (former colony had 6 "heads", I bought it with 3 alive and healthy, the other 3 dead and skeleton was all that was left). I scrubbed that too and apparently it is doing rather well tonight (expanded twice its normal size), so I guess it's enjoying being clean and the extra flow.

I'd really prefer to treat the cause, not the symptoms. I don't like the idea of no lights in the tank for 3-4 days, even if it would "work" as the corals may not enjoy it.

The update tonight is that the cyano is "blowing in the water current", so I guess the increased flow is starting to pull them off the sand and rocks. I'm excited to see the tank in a couple days (possibly tomorrow).

 

Some of the pics I do have... (the non-cell phone variety)






Have added open brain coral, neon candy canes from the LFS and may have some eagle eye zoas that were hitch hikers.