"there is about 5' head and the water level in the tank is filled all the way up and the water level in the sump i filled to just under the bioballs."
I think your starting too low in the sump.
Sump level when the power is off should be the running level of the sump _plus_ all the overflow from the tank.
It takes a while for the overflow to run at capacity.
I think your starting too low in the sump.
Sump level when the power is off should be the running level of the sump _plus_ all the overflow from the tank.
It takes a while for the overflow to run at capacity.
