welcome to the board.
I would seriously consider ditching any media in the cannister filter (if you want to use it for flow, no problem) and getting a protein skimmer once you have all your LR you want.
The cannister will work great as a temporary filter, but unless you clean the media weekly you may find it causes more water quality issues than it solves.
Enjoy the cycling process, you can learn a lot about the ins and outs of your tank and it's biological balancing act by observing all of the changes you will see.
Also, look on the classifieds and see if any locals have some extra (cured) LR, it's usually anywhere from 3 to 5 bucks/Lb when you buy "used" LR and that'll save you enough to help you buy a moderate skimmer.
cheers and welcome.
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