Will sorry that the canister broke down....... As far as the the water getting cloudy it will, but it should clear clear up in couple of days.. Some tanks do that when they are first set up. I'm glad to see you learning, the same way most of us have, by trail and error..LOL. I assume that with no fish yet your using the fishless water cycling. if not than you haven't started the process yet. Here a good article on it.
The Nitrogen Cycle in New Aquariums: Keep Aquarium Water Free of Toxic Compounds As far as the charcoal, I would leave it in for now, you haven't added your diftwood yet and that can some times turn the water tea like in color by releasing tannis into the water which over time can lower your ph, also until you get plants in there at least and start a ferting the water. It's cheap enough and you going to want some on hand if you ever need to treat the tank with meds. or other water treatments. I would wait until you get the parts you need, before jump in head first.