When you say Sucker Fish, I suppose you mean an Algae Eater or Pleco. Both of these fish will eat algae, and are mainly vegeterians, if you want a fish to eat uneaten food on the bottom of the tank, get a couple of small catfish.
As far as the strip ph kit, I've never owned the strip kit, only ph kits that take some water from the tank and add chemicals to, so I really could not give you a definate answer, just follow the directions on the package.

I managed to have time to answer these questions. Good luck with your new tank.

Tom