IM 75 gal EXT Build! First timer to 1.5 months!

[PhamousPhish]

Gonna keep this short as possible.

Got a Innovative Marine 75 gal. EXT
I put 2 custom bulkheads on back of tank to make the two bulk heads coming out of tank closer to wall. (Included 1 pic and forum posters description)

-IM 75 Gal. EXT
- 1 mp10 (planning on adding mp40)
-2 hydra 32hd with 2 single rms arms
-IM heater
-Osmolator ato and IM 15 gal reservoir
-Tropic Eden rock and Reefflakes sand

Tank is finally recently cycled according to LFS.
Added:
5 blue legged hermit krabs
5 astrea snails
Planning on getting 2 clown fish this afternoon

Question 1- I have my lights set up and I love how they look turned on; helps me get in the mood to sleep. I wanna run a schedule from 630pm - 1am.
Will this make bad algae or anything harmful or "make reef life more difficult down the line"? Heard alot of scary scenarios about algae, ugly phase, bacteria, etc. that I'd like to at least try to avoid if possible.
If I can have lights running what percentages so nothing bad grows? I read some blues and everything else off?
If I am able to add zoas soon should I still adhere to worrying about what I stated??

Question 2- if I can have the lights on then can I add zoas to my tank now? Anything to know before adding first ones??

Question 3- I got Haitian rock with zoas on it from someone and I wanna use it. It was live when i got it but it had astrea starfish (pests that I dont want in my tank). The rock has been sitting kind of dry in a bin in my garage for around a month. I dont care about the zoas on it which may be dead. How do I clean it and put it in tank pest free? Anything i need to know?? I'd like to make it a zoa and something else garden/rock...

I've included a couple pics of everything I spoke about. Lid from top lids is coming in a couple weeks.
I worry as I don't understand anything with water parameters/levels/minerals/ect or even know how to do a water change yet. So many things have been an issue on this journey yet I have pushed through. This forum has been more than helpful. I'm loving this hobby and hope I can hang! These pics don't do justice.

 

[Red_Beard]

Hey, very nice setup, love the rockscape!

Let me try and answer those as best as I can:
Answer 1: The uglies, to some degree or another will be unavoidable. Part of turning dead dry rock into reef life support. You can delay the uglies if you keep your lighting turned way down. Blues/Whites, it doesn't matter. If you want to get some zoas, they will need more light to be able to grow, and that will also fuel some of the uglies. Personally, i think it is easier to clean up the rock without coral in the tank, but adding the corals does add some bacteria and help things stabilize faster... so kind of a catch 22 there.

Answer 2: The first few months can be really hard for corals in a new tank, not saying it can't be done, just saying that it will be much harder, so I would wait 3-4 months or so before starting some easier stuff. When you are ready, good rule of thumb, the cheaper they are, the easier they are to grow. Don't buy anything expensive because it will most likely die.

Answer 3: That rock is most likely dead now and is going to need to be re-cured if it has been sitting stagnant or dry for a while. There are a few threads here that talk about how to clean them with muriatic acid or bleach. I start by cleaning off as much as possible with a pressure washer. The acid or bleach helps remove the built up organics that could otherwise fuel a bunch of algae growth when you get it going in the new tank.

Good luck