Jess,
Keep the patience your tank is almost there
As Brad and Ed mentioned above, there's no point in adding anything to your tank which means not just fish and corals, but also additives too until everything is fully cycled.
When all is zero, you can then work on making sure your PH and Alk are up to good level's. I use Kent's line of additives and have found them to be the best dissolving and most effective additives on the market.
When using Alk and PH buffers you have to be careful to follow the directions to the tee, as an overdose by one extra teaspoon can cause drastic results. Alway's dilute the buffers in some top up water or tank water, even when adding to the sump. Then wait at least a few hours before testing your levels, allowing everything to mix properly.
Example: when I was in my first year of reefing my PH dropped below 7.5 so I added two spoons of buffer at once, due to this quick increase, both my cleaner shrimps molted within an hour and the next day both of them had died. The trick with buffer's is to add a little re-test then wait then add a little more until desired levels are reached slowly.
Like the saying goes:
most good things in a reef take time, it's usually the bad things that happen fast