I forgot to add that this is when it was first installed. I have since modded the nw pumps to mesh mods. It is always full of skimmate, and the skimmer works great. It is about 6 feet tall as I got the tubing for about nothing, and rather than make it wider, I opted to go taller for contact time. I am running two recirc pumps and an input pump off the main sump. You should be able to view the entire build thread, if you want. Good luck with your build!