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I have had my corallife 65 running for 4-5 months, first on a 29 and now on my 58. I tried to follow the instruction set up exactly, but if I recall correctly, I ended up using the longer piece of tubing but making it somewhat shorter. Mine is an "in tank" installation. My pump is probably a little deeper in the tank than the three inches they recommend (maybe 3.5-4 inches). I also had to trim the black flexible tubing that goes to the bubble diffiuser. Follow the directions to adjust the gray needle wheel pump adjustment to a partially open position for the first 72 hours or so. Even though they said to leave the red water level adjustment knob in the open position for the break in period, I think I needed to turn it back some to reduce the level of the bubbles in the collection cup. My skimmer really did need this break in period and did not produce any colored skimmate until after this period--and it seemed more effective after a week or two. It is a PITA to adjust this unit but mine seems to be working very well. Once you have passed the break-in period and have the needle-wheel pump adjustment knob (gray) in the fully open position you have to adjust the red knob VERY little to make a significant change in the level of bubbles in the collection cup. Also after tank cleaning or stirring things up in the tank for any reason, it is a good idea to turn it back ever so slightly, or at least keep a good eye on it because sometimes the cup fills faster when there is more "junk" in the water column. I am dumping the cup about 2-3 times a week, but I never let it get more than 2/3 full. If you are still having a lot of trouble, I will try to get pictures, but the skimmer is between the tank and a wall so that it is not in an easy place to photograph. I'm sure this is not the best unit out there, but unless you got a defective one, will produce dark skimmate once broken in and adjusted.
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