Do you know your tap water pressure? Also make sure more is coming out of the waste line than the RO/ DI line. When I first got my Typhoon I hooked it up backwards!
I would get the tank you intend to use for the sump and start with no baffles. You can always set the return pump in a bowl or bucket and get much of the same bubble reduction. You can also feed a fuge (sand or no) inside a sump with an airline tube siphon from the overflow (don't siphon from...
Yup, they're pretty great. I haven't seen any pump driven micro skimmer that even comes close to a counter current air driven. Good reminder that I have to build the coke bottle skimmer for the Dudley tank at work.