So I pulled the batting. I could hear a whooshing sound the next morning. The sound would last for about 5 seconds every 20 minutes or so. I went ahead and pulled it and it was already starting to get really brown after just one day. Probably would have started to clog and produce micro-bubbles after a week. So I have decided I am going to try and find 3 cheap FX5 baskets and drill a lot of holes in the bottom under where the sponges rest. Want to see how that affects bypass. Just curious about such things.