i have never had a tank that has had the pump run flat out matt. my t4 runs now at around 60% capasity so i wouldnt sweat it.

I have my mag 9.5 on my 44g throttled back as well as no problems so far. As far as noise of the water running down I put a couple of 90's on the bottom and have the water discharge below the water level in the sump - cuts back on a lot of noise. It works for me but I am very plumbing impared so don't take my word on it. Now if I could just find some european size PVC I could run the discharges on my skimmer closer to the water level in my sump and cut back further on some noise of falling water.

Thanks everyone!

I really do appreciate all the advice! Hopefully I can stop worrying about my tank, and start enjoying it!

You may find that as time goes on and your pipes get coated with biofilm and various algaes that they quieten down some :biggrin:

Another Alternative...
 

An alternative to stockmans/dursos, is to choke back the drain, so that your overflow sort of "overflows" to bring the water level a few inches above the drain hole. This results in a *silent* drain. Not even a single gurgle noise:

Drain:
http://www.auphanonline.com:8080/gal...30_432_1_2.jpg

But you must have a second drain that's a bit above the water level, in case the level fluctuates and goes too high (then that 2nd drain will kick in as an emergency drain).

Emergency Drain:
http://www.auphanonline.com:8080/gal...1858_432_1.jpg

Wont work in everyone's setup, but if you can make it work, I'd highly suggest it. Now all I hear is the hum of my return pump. Sometimes it freaks me out because I dont hear the water trickle. I gotta open up the cabinet to make sure water is flowing through the sump. It's THAT quiet.

Ahhh.... I prefer to hear water running.... makes me perpetually wanna pee... :lol:

Re: Another Alternative...
 

Do search for HERBIE method for more details.