Problems with sump/ skimmer!!! pls Help!

[Matt]

With the water level in the return section that low, your return pump must also be sucking air and contributing to the problem. As above, I've raised my skimmer on a makeshift egg-crate platform so water level is <8"... it seems to work OK. I'd raise it a bit higher, but there's no ceiling room!

BTW, and slightly off-topic... I see the riser tube spouting water on several skimmer pics lately. Is that considered "normal" or "OK"?