screwed by clown in pet shop

I wouldn't do water changes at all until your initial cycle is complete. Once your nitrates rise then drop, you can do a small water change. A few weeks after that, you can add another fish. Not sure if the shrimp will make it through the cycle though because inverts are far more sensitive to water quality issues than fish are.

 

ditto...my thoughts exactly!

 

A word of advise. When you have an algea bloom, and you will. Dont ask the lfs how to fix it. Use the natural way to stop this, less light, something that will eat it. Its like the ich problem I had in the begining. Everyone wants to sell you the easy cure, I have found skunk cleaner shrimp to be the best ich control on the market.

 

Amen to that Jbaker,
My lfs just told me the other day that if I were to start using a certin additive that I would not have to test my water anymore because it would sort it all out for me. HAHA...
I would say just let your tank run for the next couple of weeks running your skimmer should not be a prob will give it a chance to get broken it as alot of skimmers seem to need this period for some reason or another.