Ya I've tried all of that, the tank and the skimmer are not brand new, skimmer about six months old. The outlet is under water but only a little bit, and I tried turning the 45 elbow sideways so it wasn't under water and still fluctuated. Do your guys' skimmer fluctuate at all, and the skimmer is in a section of the sump that doesn't move a lot unless the return pump is shut off