your stars are probably asternia stars, they are fine. what kind of light are you using????? also you do not want to put a cover on the tank. leave that open it helps with head and gas exchange on the water surface. but yeah you are off to a good start. do as stated above with the cocktail shrimp. Also ask your pet store guy is you can buy or most of the time they will give you a cup full of sand out of one of their tanks. this will speed the process up. the more sand you can get out of an established tank the better. But welcome aboard. best of luck to you :D