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We can follow the rule of 'more plants, less filtration'. The plants in the aquarium will help break down lots of waste in the water. In these cases the use of a bio filter becomes less important.

Biological filtration is actually a cycle. It starts with the fish in the tank producing ammonia. High levels of ammonia result in a colony of bacteria which feed on the ammonia. These bacteria convert the ammonia in the less toxic nitrite. Another species of bacteria converts the nitrite in to nitrate. Nitrate is harmless to fish. When you've just started with your new fish tank, ammonia levels are low. Before the whole cycle is up and running a whole month could have passed. There are a few tricks to speed up this process without putting any fish on the line. You could start the cycle by adding pure ammonia to the system or by using water or filtration material from an established fish tank which already has the healthy bio filtration cycle.

A canister filter can house fine colonies of good bacteria. Don't destroy them by cleaning the filter materials too thoroughly. A good rinse is often enough to do the trick.