In-Tank Filtration

I went ahead and removed the foam padding from the side of the skimmer. It now only has foam padding on the bottom.

I also discontinued the air-intake extension idea. It didn't seem to make any difference and actually resulted in my air intake silencer becoming clogged with dirt. My skimmer basically didn't produce any skimmate for that week.

To help combat my low pH, I have started leaving the skimmer on 24 hours a day. To minimize the noise, I have padded the skimmer pump and body with some Marineland Rite-Size Bonded Pad. This material is actually meant to be used as a mechanical filter, but is pretty useful as a cushion. I am using it on my return pump, carbon reactor feed pump, and calcium reactor feed pump as well. It has dramatically cut down on the noise coming from the skimmer pump.

I also extended the skimmer air-intake tubing so that it now draws in air from outside the stand. I did this after noticing how humid the air within the stand was. I don't know how much effect this will have though.

The in-tank filtration system for this tank is the same as for my previous tank except that I have removed the sponge I was using for mechanical filtration because it was starting to impede water flow.

Also, I have increased the water-flow through the media reactor from about 50 gallons-per-hour to around 150 gallons-per-hour.