First off, I'm pretty new to saltwater as well after years of freshwater we just decided 6 months ago to start our reef tank.
Definetly put the protein skimmer in the first section of the sump. I didn't when I started and it did almost nothing for me until I rearranged my sump setup a couple weeks ago. You need it to get the suspended proteins out before they settle.
Just keep on your schedule and take it slow. It's easy to get excited but worth the wait. We still only have 2 fish and two shrimp in our 75 gallon plus cleanup crew but it's a blast watching the everything grow an have our frags fill out.
Adam
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