Does a protein skimmer use up more water?

[jassz]

So I just finished my maintenance on the tank and cannister... oy, it didn't go well.

I vaccumed the gravel first and removed about 10 gallons or so in the process. Then I got thinking about that cowrie snail that hasn't moved in a week. Someone suggested he was eaten, but I started to wonder if he might just be rotting in the shell so I had a look. Rotting is right! Before I could do anything about it, his decaying remains fell all over the tank. I think the triggers even ate some of it, I hope they don't get sick. Perhaps that was the source of my nitrate/nitrite? It can't be healthy for the water.

Anyway, on with the Fluval. I figured out how to get it disconnected with only minor flooding. I cleaned the bioballs in the water I had just removed from the tank, replaced the foam filter with the phosphate removing kind I had, scrubbed the whole thing and attempted to put it all back together. The prev. owners had an inline heater attached to the out line. Actually, there were 2 heaters but they weren't able to install the second one because the line was too short. So, I went to all this work to get both heater aligned, and fastened up against the wall so they weren't hanging down and unsightly, only to find out that I couldn't get the replacement tubing I had bought attached to the Fluval again. The old tubing was the same diameter, but it wasn't reinforced (like my new stuff) so I guess they were able to stretch it enough. But I didn't want to use it again as it was quite disgusting looking (and too short for both heaters). In the end I just reattached the Fluval lines as they were meant to be installed, sans heaters. There is a heater in the sump, but there's probably a reason why they had more than one. But, it's quite warm now (ambient temp), maybe it will be enough. I hope so, at least until I can get a coupler or something. It's certainly not maintenance I would want to do weekly!

My biggest grief was to get the damn thing to stop seeping! It's STILL seeping in fact. I finally wrapped a towel around it and gave up. It has taken me hours to do all this. One of my biggest impediments is that we are renovating, and don't have a sink downstairs, so I am up and down the stairs a million times, scrubbing parts, hauling water one gallon at a time. I need a nap.

I guess I have four sources of flow. The powerhead, the sump, the cannister filter, and this other thermos looking thing that shoots out water. Does the overflow count?

I will have to move that algae in to where the overflow return is then, if it likes flow. I thought it was getting beat up in there and moved it to a different part of the sump.

I don't think I could move the skimmer to another area. And honestly I can't figure out why the water level isn't constant, as it looks like it should be. But I will get a picture for you. Right after my nap.