No matter what kind of filtration you use you will have no way to remove dissolved nitrogen waste products, i.e., nitrites and nitrates without 1)changing the water partially or 2)establishing plants(requires a lot more light than you think)3) or establishing a culture of bacteria that metabolize nitrates and nitrites, such as is done in saltwater aquariums. Fluorescent lights are not enough to grow most aquarium plants very well. There are special lights made for this though that work pretty well. Or you can put your aquarium in the sunlight. Problem is that when you give the plants enough light to grow, the phytoplankton also grow and cloud the water.
Between changing water and having plants there is a balance that people reach. I have had
many aquariums and have reached it without much trouble but it takes a little practice. You will get the best advice from a tropical fish store, especially if they handle salt water tanks since they are much harder to manage than fresh water.
I highly recommend starting with a few fish and gradually building up to where you want to be rather than rushing things.
Layton Runkle
