Hi, Jade,

Thanks for the pics...big help. The issue you may have in a longer hose at that point is the lack of space between the pump and the 90 elbow.

You could maybe redo the section from the filter to the rubber connector, but, if you do that, you should be able to line both sides up a little better...which I think was your problem to begin with.

Like Al said, the unions require very good alignment. I think they look really nice. Either way, you've got some options. Don't get the rubber connectors you see in the PVC sections at HD/Lowes. They're made for drain pipes only and will bulge badly under even minimal pressure. ( It looks like you may have that on there now)