Over skimming?

[Ccote]

I have a aqua max 1.5 hob skimmer on my 29 gallon. I have 8 frags that have not yet matured and 4 small fish. I heard from a podcast that over skimming can be bad for your tank. My softies do not seem happy. Am I over skimming? I do 5 gallon weekly water changes

 

[Ron Reefman]

How much skim-mate do you make per week? Is it light or dark? Is it watery or dense and mushy?

 

[DeniableArc]

Do you know your nutrient levels?

 

[Angelwolf21203]

Following to learn.

 

[Smcevoy]

Following

 

[Hugh Mann]

Also following.

 

[Ccote]

How much skim-mate do you make per week? Is it light or dark? Is it watery or dense and mushy?

I fill maybe a quarter of the cup per week. Its always pretty clear. Smells horrendous

 

[Ron Reefman]

It's suppose to smell bad, kind of like the days when a lot of seaweed washes up on the beach in the Florida Keys! ;Hilarious;Hilarious

A quarter of the cup doesn't sound like too much. But you might try turning it down a tiny bit more so the material in the cup is less clear.

 

[Hydrored]

You want to dial it in so the skimate is dark, I would be more concerned over you nutrient levels then dial your skimmer from there

 

[MichiganReefer]

I think it is very unlikely that your soft corals would react badly from over-skimming. Low nitrates and phosphates have never had an adverse effect on corals for me. Much more likely that something like alkalinity or ammonia levels are causing an issue.

 

[Dom]

My softies do not seem happy.

That is a bit vague. If you can, please post some pictures of the so we can make a determination. Also, if you could post your most current water parameters and the date of the tests.