The best Skimmer I ever owned is my Life Reef. You can use any pump on it, just match the Approximate GPM. Has a drain, Air intake is via the cup, so no air suction noise. Also via this design, if the Skimmer should go Crazy, the Skimming Action is temporally stopped. Mine has never gone crazy. No Needle Wheel, just a simple Ventura, that rarely needs cleaning. One adjustment via a gate valve. Tip if you want to temporarily increase skimming action, just raise the sump level, and leave the gate valve alone. A little trick to quiet a noisy pump, is to place a Silicone Pot Holder under it.