Suppose I should chime in as this is about my tank... Thanks to John for bringing this up and seeing what comes of it. I've been into aquariums for around 5 years - this is my first tank - of any type - so I suspect I've made and will continue to make nearly every mistake there is.
I'm a bit nervous about removing the wet/dry as its been in the tank for nearly 5 years now. I was told that the more surface area you have for things to grow on is a good thing - and this contraption in my sump was a great way to do that. One thing I'm a bit fuzzy on is if its good to have live rock - AKA places for things to grow, then why is a wet/dry filter in the sump an assumed 'bad' thing?
My wet/dry filter is 16" high, 11" wide and 11" deep. the twin over-flows drop onto a 4x8 poly filter (replaced every water change), then the top of the drip tray has crouton sized cell pore media. Below the drip tray is what I assume is a standard filter media, coiled into an 8 - 9 " diameter circle. Below the drip try is an 8"x8"x4" cell pore block. The rest is as John explained it.
If we add the protein skimmer and leave the wet/dry in place - is there a risk of over-taxing the skimmer? Or will things simply still be out of whack?
Thanks for the feedback and advice.