Yes, the OR is connected to a tee. Personally, I like to sump flow to be slow so my skimmer can take in more nasty water. I use in-tank power heads to compensate. Also, I am doing FOWLR, so someone doing a reef may have another opinion. Also keep in mind that if you use a fuge, you want a little slower water flow so you dont wash everything out, or at least to one side. Again, this is just my personal choice.