No, it's the proper way to do it. According to your photo, you have all the parts that this tank needs to work properly. I would seriously question the condition of the lid: the liquid in the tank needs to pass through a lateral opening in the inner side of the lid, in order to flow through the outer ring-shaped aperture of the outer side. If something is clogging it up, then it will be difficult to empty the tank short of unscrewing the lid. Check what happens when you pour water on the "tank" side of the lid: you should see the water flow through the ring aperture on the other side. If not, your lid is clogged up.
Another possibility is that the gasket is not appropriate for this tank, and is clogging up the opening. It must be a snug fit on the upper edge of the tank, otherwise it may be blocking the slot in the lid.