Got my media basket and installed that just fine in my new BioCube29. Picked up my Tunze 9002 last night and started installing that and had a little problem with the media basket and InTank replacement cup fitting together in the middle chamber. I've got the Tunze as far to one side as I can and the media basket as far to the opposite as it will go but the replacement skimmer cup doesn't want to fit all the way down. If I tilt the cup away from the media basket I can get it to just barely fit past the side of the media basket but then it's sitting there in a tilted position. I've looked in the chamber and it might be a lip about 2" down in the chamber (I think there's another one further down too) that sticks out maybe an 1/8" and I think that lip might be causing the problem. I've attached a picture for reference.

Click to view attachment

Is the skimmer closer to the chamber with the return pump? And are you using the magnet it comes with?

Put the media basket and skimmer in first, then put the cup in... that's all I can think of.

The skimmer is closer to the return pump and I am using the magnet it came with although I'm not sure how you could take the magnet off the skimmer as it seems glued on quite well. I can get the skimmer and basket in (like you said basket first then skimmer) but when I try to get the InTank cup to sit all the way down it hits the edge of the basket and the result is that the cup sits high. I can press the media basket towards the intake chamber a tiny bit and get the cup to pass the edge of the basket but only about 1/4-1/2" and then it tilts towards to the return pump.

Big hammer?

Hopefully Steviewonderbasketguy will chime in here soon.

Looks like you need to raise the skimmer up higher so the cup sits above the media basket. The top of the media basket will just about meet up with the top of the skimmer.

have you watched this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1vU-WK-DtA

I did watch that video before and now that you've pointed it out I see exactly what you are referencing. I assumed that the skimmer and basket would fit next to each other at at levels of the chamber. I'm still trying to get the skimmer running correctly so I might still have a problem with where the skimmer sits with regards to the water level but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

You can adjust the water level in your chamber by adding or subtracting from it. Any new skimmer will need up to two weeks to break in so don't expect much right away.

Check out what I found in it this morning (after 12 hours of running). Seems like it's mostly water and I only have the knob open 1.5 turns.

On the water level I seem to be limited by the media basket needing to have the water level at/below the floor of the top chamber and I'm not sure I could raise the basket by putting something under it or it would be higher than the lip of the first chamber.

Click to view attachment

Turn your knob down until it breaks in. That is just saltwater.

I don't quite understand your other question on the water level.