Cooking LR Question

[fkshiu]

I wouldn't worry about the black patches at all. You're only going to lose the photosynthetics initially. It's only after several months with regular water changes that any of the filter/detritus feeders will start to go as you begin to starve them out (depending on how badly the rock was loaded up with crap to begin with). What you'll have left in the end is a spic and span bacterial filter requiring no cycling time.