Advice? New Setup Questions

I have recently started my first saltwater setup. I am not new to fish keeping, but I am new to saltwater. I have been researching and collecting supplies for about 8 years and I finally have made the jump. My tank has been set up for about 2 weeks at this point. So far everything seems to be going well. I have what appears to be a lot of diatom on the rock, circulation pumps, and sand. From what I understand this is a good sign. I had some in the water column, but I ran some poly filter to clean that out. My Ammonia and nitrite have not really spiked like I had expected, and I have just recently seen a nitrate jump. There are so many resources out there, but also so many that conflict that it is hard for someone with limited experience to know what is the best way. I don't really want to take to many risks with my first go round.
Set up is as follows.
Current Parameters -
Ammonia - 0 PPM (Highest has been 2)
Nitrite - 2 PPM
Nitrate - 15-20 PPM This just recently jumped
PH - 7.8 -8
Temp 79.5
65 gallon main tank
20 gallon sump/refugium with about 12 gallons of water
2-2 1/2 5 gallon pails of man made dry rock. - 1 - 3" piece of live rock
2" of aragonite sand in main tank and 12x12 area of the sump
4 - 800 GPH Circulation Powerheads
500 GPH return pump
DIY - PVC overflow - I built a 12" skimmer bar intake to skim the top of the water
Wifi - LED Light it is an off brand - I figured it was OK to start with only fish and rock
Questions:
1. Is the diatom truly a good sign? What should I expect next?
2. What should I plan for my next step after cycling? Clean up crew (what types)? Macro Algae?
3. A fish store convinced me that I needed fish to cycle my tank. A decision I now wish I wouldn't have made. I have 3 striped damsels in it currently. They seem to be doing OK. I have a 10 gallon tank I could move them to with a powerhead, but it would not be an established tank either. I don't want to subject them to any additional stress. Not sure what the right route to go here is. My original plan was to just cycle with a dead shrimp or feed daily. It was yet another situation where someones confidence made me question what I had learned.
I have a million more questions but these are the big ones right now. Thanks to anyone who can steer me in the right direction!

 

Thanks for the advice! I do not have ro/di. My initial fill was tap water that I left sit out with heaters and power heads to mix and evaporate chlorine. I am planning on just buying ro/di for any added water, as it will be a more manageable amount.
Like I said I wasn't going to buy fish for a few months, but some people can be so convincing. He also said that the Damsels would be fine with other fish. I specifically asked that question, as I had read damsels can get territorial. "Oh, not this type, and you have to get three so they don't fight each other." My mistake I guess. I need make sure I research and stick by what I decide in the future. What do I do with them if they do cause issues in my tank, as far as getting along with future fish?
As far as the clean up crew, or macro algae, I didn't mean now, I meant a month or so after my tank has finished cycling. Is that what you would go with next?
Thanks again for your response!

 

I had ammonia levels at around 2 PPM, but never higher, then the diatom showed up and then ammonia totally dropped out. I still feed, and I have the damsels so I would think it should still be producing ammonia. I might wait a bit and try the dosed ammonia route. Sounds like a good way to test the cycle. I bought the damsels at Pets Playhouse in Cedar Rapids.

 

They are 3 Striped damsels. Black and white. I don't know that I would be able to catch them if I wanted to! They each have pretty much found their own little cave in the rocks. They don't really school at all. 2 of them will hang out occasionally. They don't bother each other at all, but I imagine they might be a problem for future fish.

 

I asked if I could take them back and he told me no. LOL. I'll see how they l do. I'm not planning on having a ton of fish, and I'm not terribly picky on what I have in there. I don't need the super high end fish to enjoy it.

 

I think you are right. I was just in Manchester Saturday morning and I was going to stop, but I was running late to meet some people and didn't get the chance. I used to stop in there a lot years ago when I lived closer, but haven't been there in a long time. I don't remember much about the saltwater stuff he had. Maybe I'll take a trip this Saturday and check it out!

 

Thanks for the info! I'm definitely a ways out from Coral, hope to get there at some point. How long do you quarantine fish? Do you just do a bare tank? Do you use water from your main tank or do you use newly mixed water?

 

This is my tank today.

Sent from my SM-G935R4 via App

 

I'll turn the light off for awhile. Some people say leave it on some say leave it off. I have it set up on a day night type cycle now. I've been looking into getting RO/DI unit. If I can't find any in the interim, I'll let you know. I don't like to put anyone out. Thanks again!

 

Its one if found on craigslist. Not sure what it is exactly. It does have some reds in the spectrum. I have read a lot that a diatom bloom is fairly common in a new setup. After the initial bloom, it has calmed down quite a bit.