Hope you didnt use the copper. Not with live rock. IF you use copper in your system you will never be able to have any inverts...no crabs, shrimp, starfish, tube worms, coral...any. It will contaminate your system.
Your
LFS does not sound very reliable when it comes to proper information. Aqua Clear or any
HOB do not skim for proteins. One o the better inexpensive skimmers will be a Prism. they have two sizes. The smaller would be ideal for your size tank. They cost about $100. Worth every penny. If you can afford it, CPR BAk Paks and Via Aqua filter/skimmers are good too. They range between $250 and $300.
If you are not going to give up the clown, then you need to do what was mentioned in my previous post...a lot of small but frequent water changes. Scratching is a sign of stress or parasites. In a tank with live rock and live sand, you do not use copper. Copper is ok in a hospital tank, not the main tank. To treat the tank, other than emptying it of fish for a few weeks you could use garlic additives as a food soak or directly into the tank. Yhis stimilates appetite but it also wards off passengers from the fish. The fish doesn't taste good to a parasite.
You can also give the clown a freshwater bath for 5 minutes. HAve freshwater in a bucket set at the tank's temperature and make sure it is conditioned. Place the fish in there for no more than five minutes. Do this every other day for about a week along with any other treatment. This shocks parasites off the fish. Works on most marine fish. Some fish like wrasses should not be
FW dipped at all. Clowns are tough and can handle it.
A hospital tank would be a good investment. It can also double as a quarantine tank for new fish. A simple five or ten gallon tank fitted with only a heater, thermometer and a sponge filter with something for the fish to hide in. No substrate. Hospital tanks need to be bare.
pH sitting at 8.0 depending on time of day really isn't much of an issue to worry about. Though it is a sign ammonia could be on the rise. Always check ammonia when pH is lower.
Basic water change routine should only be about 15% once every two weeks. 25% to 30% weekly is too much. Drastic changes like that should only be done for emergency situations like fowled tanks. Marine fish are not adapted to drastic changes of their water chemistry. The ocean is vast and because of it's massive volume, experience very little change. Most freshwater fish being they come from rivers, streams, and lakes, where there are natural drastic changes are adapted. That's why marine fish are harder to keep in captivity. If you've done the initial 25% water change, then continue with 10% every two to three days for a week or two along with adding a bio additive like NitroMax Marine. Test the water. If all is balanced, then water changes can be done less....15% once a week, then as you fit a skimmer, that routine can drop to 15% once every two weeks.
The following webpage has information about water parameters for marine/reef.
http://tricitytropicals.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=1
Let us know if you are going to keep the clown or not. As mentioned in my previous post, take this situation as a lesson. It's a bummer to start any aquarium off wrong, but it's not entirely your fault for receiving bad info on fish keeping from your
LFS. Stick with us and we'll guide you along to a successful tank.
Let us know if you are going to keep the clown or not. Then we can proceed with balancing the system before adding anything alive to it.