This forum isn't confusing. Just relax and breathe :happyfish
You should be able to take the fish back, so I suggest you call or go to your local fish store (LFS) and ask them if they will give you store credit for the damsels and the clownfish. They do not need to be in a tank that hasn't even begun to cycle yet. It's cruel and unnecessary and your wife will just have to accept that. Patience is a necessary virtue in this hobby.
As it has already been suggested, go to your LFS and buy a Master Test Kit for saltwater aquariums. This kit should come with supplies to test your water parameters for pH, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. As you said, your tank is very new and is
just starting to cycle. Test every day during the cycle and watch for a spike in ammonia. Then, once the ammonia and nitrites have dropped to 0, your cycle is complete and you may add fish VERY slowly and not a ton at a time.
Hydrometers are nowhere near as accurate or reliable as a refractometer, and while refractometers may cost a pretty penny, they are well worth the investment.
One more thing... don't go with damsels, unless you really like them. They're known to be complete terrors once other fish are in the tank and they swim so fast that it will be a pain to get them out if you decide to get rid of them. The only exception are the blue-green chromis as they are the most docile of the damsels.
Please be patient and very careful. Go through this forum and ask as many questions as you can think of about starting a marine aquarium. Hopefully you and your wife can be a little more patient in the future. I know it's hard!
or I would have done that) Good luck and welcome to a wonderful hobby.
