weld-on substitute?

[fmelindy]

I'm going to practice by trying to build something similar on a much smaller scale, I need a skimmer fro my nano with no sump. I don't see why a recirc can't work for that as well, with a small feed pump immersed in the tank proper and outflow going directly back in the tank from the skimmer placed slightly higher than the tank itself on an adjacent shelf or cabinet. Does that sound like something that would work?