joey that looks good. if the meshmod hasnt kicked in yet, you may want to lower the water level just to be safe so it doesnt go crazy on you and end up overflowing.
I clean mine with a bottle brush and a toothbrush everyday. i'd say ~20% increase in performance.
Let it skim for a week without cleaning it and add up the liquid total...then clean everyday and add up the liquid total. Although not very scientific or 100% accurate, you'll be surprised at the difference.
eric