IM Nuvo filter issues?

[Robb1821i]

I have a 20 gallon nuvo peninsula AIO. I'm not sure if I'm having filter issues or I just didn't understand how it worked.

I have an intank in the frst chamber with a purigen in top, chemi pure blue nano in middle and a few no3 and po4 xport rocks in the bottom. Middle is the intank fuge with chaeto and in pump chamber i only have my heater.

Problem is I'm running a mighty jet 326 pump. I find that if the first media basket is pushed slightly back, away from incoming water, I can run the pump at around mid speed with no issues because some of the water is bypassing the basket. If i pull the media basket forward, toward the water so all the water has to flow through the media the pump chamber runs dry.
Is it ok that some water bypasses the filtration? Maybe the filter media is too tight? Doesn't seem like it to me but Imma newbie.

 

[Jib]

I have an IM 14. Put more water in until the pump chamber doesn't run dry. The faster you run the return pump, the more water you need in the tank.

 

[Reef.]

Doesn’t really matter, better if all of it goes over the media but no harm if it doesn’t.

if you have powerheads in the tank, you don’t need to have the return turned up that much anyway, I would just decide how much return flow you want and stop moving things around, as you have seen it affects the flow.