Canister Filter or??

[mike31154]

Yes, it's best/easiest to run it empty if you wish to continue using it. Your live rock will be the filter media once established. On my current setup I don't have a sump either and am running a Rena XP3 canister (with XP2 motor for reduced flow). The only thing I have in there other than empty media baskets, is a media bag with carbon. I've been a little delinquent in cleaning it from time to time and when I do there's a fair amount of mulm in there. Something else I've done is wrap paper around the container to block light and encourage growth of low light filtering critters. The inside has become quite encrusted with the small white fan worms found in the nooks and crannies of live rock.

You might find that the display tank will have more suspended particles than you'd like to see, but you could use a small powerhead with filter attachment to polish the water. Easier to clean.