IMO you are way more likely to get something good and not something bad.
You could consider a wrasse as your next fish depending on your tank size etc.
You will want to give it some time for your tank to settle down after adding the clowns.
Sure you can start with the dry rock. It just takes longer but it sounds like you know that. Add some of the bottled bacteria (I have been told Dr Tim's is the best but never used it myself), then add a deli shrimp or another ammonia source and watch the cycle.
At the same time go ahead an...
Keep in mind that GSP can get out of control and take over a large area. Right now about 1/5 of the back of my tank is covered with it. Personally I like the way it looks but putting it too close to other corals will likely become a problem longer term.
You have to be careful with those machines. Often the filters are not changed on a regular basis. I would suggest a small investment in a TDS meter so you can test the water if that is what you want to use. Long term there is nothing better than having your own RO/DI system for top off and NSW.
With that small of a bio-load you would be fine without a sump or skimmer for quite some time. Forever even as some people don't use either. They are beneficial but not "necessary" Just be sure you have enough flow in the tank for good air exchange and you should be fine until the sump is...
Sounds like your live rock was live. Over time you may find lots of other critters appear out of the live rock. Some of them good like the amphipods and sometimes not so good. Finding them is one of my favorite parts of starting a new tank.
There is nothing like real live rock. I will try to find a thread but it is a really old one where a member cut in half two pieces of rock that had been in his system for years. One of which was live rock and the other dry rock that was "becoming live" You could easily see that only the outer...
Well, if you have an anemone you have gone past easy already. They need lots of light and very stable water parameters. I suggest spending your time right now ensuring you have a stable environment for the anemone. I do agree that leather corals are great for beginners. My other favorite is...
Add manual removal to the list. Sometimes you can grab big chunks of it to pull out. Particularly where it is on a flat surface you can scrape it off then grab it out of the water column.
We came in from all over the place. I flew up from Florida and Woodstock came up from N.C. There were probably about 10-12 of us in the group and was a lot of fun.
Is the tank already set up and cycled? If so what kind of equipment do you have particularly the lighting? This can make a big difference as to what you can best keep in the tank.