It's been running for a little over a month. It cycled very quick, (about a week and a half) since I used Fritz TurboStart, so I do have a few fish in it, but it is still really new. My parameters are pretty stable except for PH, but I am planning on running the air hose from my skimmer outside to fix that though. There is algae already and I have a few snails, but the sand bed is probably not ready for a sand sifter just yet. I am just planning for when it is. For now I just vacuum the sand bed when I see any trace of detritus or left over food.
Some algae is a natural progression. Just like the nitrogen cycle, there's an algae cycle that occurs (normally just after a tank has cycled). Sorry if I'm over-explaining, but here's some info if I'm not:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/ Scroll down to Section 5: The cycle. My personal opinion (which I would highly encourage you to research, since I'm new too) is to not react too quickly to the growth. Everything is so new, there's a good chance that it would all even itself out anyways, and if you are helping it too much, it may go too far in the opposite direction. I imagine it being kind of like overcorrecting in a car - people slightly go onto the shoulder and then, panicked, turn their wheel far too much and end up in the next lane of traffic. I'm not saying you don't need a CUC though, that's a proper correction, but too much cleaning by you during the early stages in addition to the CUC may potentially be counter productive.
If you are wanting some sand sifters, you want to make sure there's food down there for them, which means less manual sand cleaning. My tank is about 5 months old and I've never cleaned the sand myself. I got some Corinth snails and they have helped, but the sand doesn't look super pretty- but it's way better than it was. I just put copepods in to start prepping for a goby. Gobies, such as a diamond goby, will keep your sand super white. Even with all the waiting, I know I will need to seed with copepods to make sure he stays well fed once he munches through what has built up over the past 5 months. It's hard to wait, but if you can manage it, it may be worth it.
Most starfish will pray on corals. But certain starfish, like the brittle starfish, will not. However, they're not very pretty. They remind me more of a spiky snake or millipede. They are nocturnal though, so that means you likely won't see them often, so their appearance may not be an issue at all.
I'm in the same boat as you, where I'd like to find alternative CUC that aren't a fish buffet. Having both a tusk and a tobey puffer (who literally tries to eat every snail & hermit crab in the tank), I've conceded to the fact I have replenish my CUC every few weeks. These guys even took out my peppermint shrimp. But as these are my two favorite fish in the tank, I really don't mind (except for the $). And besides the brittle stars, I've heard most starfish aren't exactly reef safe. I do have an arrow crab that does a good job without becoming lunch.
You could try to think of it as a live buffet.
lol Not sure that helps, but at least the fish probably like the extra stimulation.
