after i drop the grocery shrimp onto my LS, people say it should take about a month or so with my 29g tank. after that, do i need to add a couple damsels (hearty fish), or can i add a tang and maybe a coral ater the cycle.
I would wait a while before adding a tang or corals...both are pretty delicate. Try adding other fish into the system first...maybe a clown...whatever other fish you are interested in that are more hardy than a tang.
i would wait until the cycle has completed, before adding any fish, and you do not need to add any damsels, but i would refrain from putting a tang in a 29 gallon tank, altogether
HTH
Please do not put a tang (even a small one) in a 29gl. They like lots of room to swim.
After the cycle add a pair of clowns or damsles if you like them. Smaller fish for a smaller tank. or do without fish and have creatures. our 25 was lr with creatures. It was cool.