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Congrats on getting set up! Carbon won't disturb the cycle. Actually the carbon particles will give the de-nitrifying bacteria another place to grow. Are you running sand? Sand is probably the bigger de-nitrifying area. With the tank seeded with LR you could start adding fish a few weeks after your cycle finishes. Pick a hardy fish but not one you'll regret later like damsels. Only add 1-2 fish every 4-6 weeks to allow your system to catch up. Once you have some livestock in the tank QT any new fish if you can.
Sounds like you'll be ready for a cleanup crew soon. For your size tank I like getting just 3-4 red/scarlet leg hermits. And a mixture of astreas, ceriths and turbo snails. The amount will depend on how bad your algae cycle is.
edit: Just read a very depressing post of someone who got their 400G tank nuked by a pink cuke. I see you mentioned that as a starter.
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