I'm fairly new to the saltwater world as well (1 yr), but I can safely say that you shouldn't have anything in your tank.
Do you have Live rock?
what kind of filtration?
How did you start the cycle?
Have you been testing your water? If so,what are the current results?
When did you add the livestock?
You shouldn't have added the star, the fish, crabs, or snails.
Your clean up crew is good for your tank, but there is no algae for them to eat so they will likely die. TYpically you stat w/ a few snails/crabs, then as your tank matures, you add more gradually.
Try returning everything. If the things do live, they probably won't be too happy, and may suffer damage.
The amount of time the tank cycled doesn't mean anything. The way you know it's finished is when you test daily, and you see the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates go up and then back down to 0. THen your cycle is over. May take a few weeks, may take a few months. All tanks are different.
I'm sorry to say,The LFS ripped you off.
I dont know much bout stars, but sand sifting are pretty hardy, BUT you shouldnt add any stars until the tank is well established. They probably will starve, if not, they'll likely die from poor water quality.
I'm not sure what you can do at this point other than return everything, or HOPE that your tank did actually complete it's cycle.
As for the lights, i THINK you should probably run them normal (12hrs) just to encourage algae growth.
Actually, it's quite possible that you got lucky and your tank did complete a cycle. 1 month may have been enough time.
Do searches on the forum on "nitrogen cycle" and just seach general info. Look at the archives/ FAQ section. You'll find a lot of great stuff. I learned EVERYTHING i know from this site. A lot of ppl had done what you did under the encouragement of the LFS. Luckily for you, you did 1 month into the cycle.
Rule #1- dont trust LFS.
I'm sure other ppl on the forum have better advice than me though. Good luck.
