55 Gal FOWLR - seeking criticism

[turbo]

ok so i ran a wet test and the drain is able to handle the flow from the pump. i pumped freshwater full blast from a 5 gal pail to the external side of the overflow and it just went down the drain and back into the bucket. the water level never changed but holy mackerel it's loud haha!

and this ruined my evening: the inlet on my cheapskate protein skimmer is now broken, and i thought it would be okay if i just jammed a hose onto it and clamped it. this is not okay, though. this leaks. so i am presently unable to use this protein skimmer AT ALL until I can repair this little problem.






I'm left with the following questions:

1. will the proposed drain and vinyl hose be ok? it worked for 45 seconds will it work for 10 years? am i asking for trouble by joining the two drains into one?

2. will my overflow box always be so freakin' lowd???????

3. how the heck can i use this protein skimmer now?? any plumbing experts or material engineers offer some advice for an adhesive or cement? i can't say what type of material this skimmer is made of.