what to do when sump to tall for skimmer?

[mike31154]

Well, not sure this is better, but it is a skimmer driven by a pump, not gravity fed, run external to my tank. I don't have a sump... yet, but when I do, it will be a similar DIY el cheapo, counter current, air stone skimmer. It is 'outside' the tank (sump in your case) so it may be as tall as you wish to make it. Only downside I can see is there's more potential for flooding if it overflows, but that risk can be mitigated in a number of ways. So far not a problem in my case. Aquaclear 301 powerhead, 8 watts, Stellar W-60 air pump, 3.2 watts. No doubt there are much more professional & efficient rigs out there, but this works fine for me and can be run on back up power for quite a while with such low power consumption.