Is my turnover rate okay?

[Playdope]

How does one know if their custom return to the sump is slowing down the turnover rate too much. I put enough water in the sytem to ensure the level in the sump stays nice, but .. the water gets to the sump a bit slower, since I put in a bunch of elbows to quiet the waters trip from the overflow to the sump.

Jon

[redawg]

if it doesn't keep up with your return pump

[Playdope]

Well, I added some more water, and there is enough water in the sump for the return pump. However, does that mean the turnover rate is acceptable? Doesn't that just mean the pump will run properly? How do I know I am getting enough water turnover through the system?

[redawg]

general rule is atleast 10x depending on what your keeping.. hard corals like more flow and softies like less. so if u have a 100 gal then 1000gph turnover rate would be good. you shouldn't rely on your return pump for the whole tank turnover.. use power heads and/or a closed loop system

[justletmein]

You don't necessarily need to turnover a lot of water through your sump. All you need is enough water moving through the sump to allow for good heating and skimming. The rest of your water turnover can be movement within the tank.

Edit: By the way. Be careful about slowing down the water draining into the sump because if it slows too much your return pump will push more water into the tank than can drain back down and you'll overflow.