HELP! need even flow+quiet

soooo....just got water in my aquarium and am now putting it under. i just cant seem to get an even flow and reduce noise. im open to all suggestions, just need for this to work. ATM the overflow is just a hole in the back of the tank, i'll build a box for it...just dont know how. right now im using a ball valve to slow down the overflow but its impossible to keep even and will either climb or fall in the return chamber. here are some pics of the situation.

 

Your return pump will control how fast you water goes to the sump for the most part as long as you are not trying to pump faster than the overflow can operate. It sounds as though you are fighting suction. You will need to add air to the water by using some airline. You will most likely to drill a hole in the elbow that is slightly smaller than the airline you have and insert the airline down the pipe until it quiets down.

Go to Glass-Holes.com dope aquarium stuff to get an idea on how to set up your overflow.

 

Never restrict the overflow. If you need to reduce flow throttle the discharge side of the return pump with a ball or gate valve. The return pump will determine how fast the overflow drains and will balance out on its own.
Your overflow will work best with a standpipe so it mixes air and water in the proper ratios so you don't get air locked or have a flushing effect. I would get your overflow box and a short standpipe installed ASAP as it will solve your issues.

 

as for the overflow box, go check out what Glass Holes does with theirs. you will find they the smallest one they sell may work perfectly on your tank.

 

For the overflow box you can also go over to Aquatica in Pointe-Claire, I don't know where in Montreal you are but those guys were amazing in helping me out as well - without them I wouldn't have had anywhere near the success I've had. I am pretty sure you can get one customized to the hole you already drilled for a really reasonable price.

 

For the overflow, I use a stand pipe as mentioned above as well to allow air, I had put in a ball valve also as I was not too sure if I needed to slow anything down at the time (never did) or if for some reason down the road I needed to replace an entire section of pipe I could simply close it off. The important bit for me was the actual fitting inside the overflow box where I used a ¼ elbow pipe to keep the opening below the waterline.