[kwirky]

Ok, so now I'm trying to guestimate what kind of turnover I'm really getting through my sump and how to throttle it back if I can.

It's a 120g (48x24x24) with a mag 7 for the return. The pump's output is 3/4", which first goes to a 1" adapter. Then it's two 1" 45's (sweep 90), then a 1" check valve and a 1" ball valve, finally adapted back to 3/4" for the gasket, then back to 1" for the pipe that rises to the upper regions of the tank, then out a 1" 90.

Basically it's going through two 1" 45's and a 1" 90, a 1" check valve and a 1" ball valve. I'm guessing I'm getting about 500gph through it so about 4x water turnover.

Would turning down the ball valve (on the output of the pump, no ball valve exists on the input) shorten the life of the pump/impeller in any way? I'm thinking that would be my simple solution to eliminating some noise.

I think I have microbubbles because ****loads of 1/4" sized bubbles cling to the nasty fiber-like that grows on the various plastic things in the tank and when I blow off the rocks with the turkey baster bubbles get blown out from the undersides of the rocks. I have no baffles in my sump unfortunately. I'm planning on getting some eventually but I'd rather upgrade to a larger sump at the same time if possible (when $$ happens).