All this coming from people who keep the standard "sw collection".
Canisters have their use, IF you maintain them, and IF you need them. If you have simple little fish like clownfish, tangs, etc. then you may not need something like a canister. If you keep something else like a lionfish, grouper, etc. than it's an entirely different story. In my case, it's highly helpful in cleaning the tank, and it's more cost effective. Some of us don't have the money to go for the "best" of everything
. And in some cases, the simple rule of what filter to use, etc. doesn't apply. A predator tank is different than , say, a 75 gallon reef filled with mainly inverts... which have a low metabolism, and eat a lot less.
But, hrmm.. let us know how it goes along
. I definitely want to see pics lol.