Over skimming?

[rogersjw]

THis could be a very dumb question, but as I am new to the saltwater arena I thought I would double check... Is it possible to over-skim? I.E. buy a skimmer rated too big for your tank? Would it take out too many nutrients? I read something about it on a personal aquarium site, but I figured I would ask here to double check. Thanks for the help.

 

[ccCapt]

No. While skimmers do help with nutrient removal, they only remove 20%-30% of the TOC's (Total Organic Compounds) found in your tank water.
Feature Article: The Development of a Method for the Quantitative Evaluation of Protein Skimmer Performance | Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine