tight chains

[Micah Chetrit]

Hello,
We are using a banebot 1:256 with a mini cim gearbox to tension our rubber that stores energy to throw the ball. We are not direct driving the tension system, instead we are using #35 chains with a 1:1 gear ratio. The problem is that the bottom chain is overly tight, and the top is loose, and we suspect that the excess tension is causing us to loose significant power because (although this could be from gear ratios as well) it is significantly slower than when we had a 1:1.5 gear ratio that wasn't overly tight on the bottom. I am not a chain expert, and I am wondering how we can make the bottom chain less loose (and why is it tight), and if we could be loosing power from the tension. We tried oiling it and putting a tensioner inside it. Overall advise on chains is appreciated as well.