i started using polishing pads in both my 205 and 405. although they keep the water clearer, they need to be replaced once a week. in order to save costs, i may just use the pillow stuffing route.
Of course, a better alternative would be to get a cheap ($20) water filter at Lowes, a 2 micron filter element and plumb it inline..... you want clean water? LOL, you got it. I plan on doing this to my tank, as soon as I can figure out a way to plumb one into my system....
Oh, and it goes without saying, but I'm gonna say it anyway, plumb it in AFTER the canister.
I like Cory Keeper's idea of using a real water filter but I would be going for more like 5 microns. A 2 micron will plug up very fast and may cause major flow reductions in a big hurry. I might get adventurous and try plumbing one up to a power head as an experiment.
actually, at first it will, because there would be alot of dirt that wasn't caught. I've heard reports of people using 1 micron filters and it clogs up real fast at first, but once it got rid of all the dirt, it kept it clean with no issues for weeks.