Peter Breed wrote:

Anybody running a protein skimmer on a pond?
I've read the argument that marine aquatics keepers tend to run skimmers
because for them water is comparatively expensive, and for freshwater
this isn't true, hence its not necessary as water changes remove the
need, but due to low rainfall there is a high risk a hosepipe ban here
this summer and anything that reduced the need for water changes seems
like a good idea.

Steve Meyer, who wrote about pond fish for years in AFM magazine, swears by
them for ponds. aiui, it's not so much that water is expensive that
they're used in marine aquaria but simply because protein skimmers are much
more effective in salt water (something to do with the bubbles being more
stable). To get the same effect in freshwater you need something much
bigger - but that can be worthwhile with a pond.

http://tinyurl.com/lduvl gives his directions for building a protein
skimmer, but it's unfortunately missing the images.
--
derek