Chaeto and cycling

[sgallagher7]

Should I wait until my tank/lr is done cycling before adding chaeto to my fuge, or can it go in at the beginning?

 

[sunfish11]

It should be fine.

 

[Slphappy]

Since I haven't done it yet, I can't speak from experience; but I was told to add the chaeto when I see algae starting to show up during the cycle. Maybe someone else can confirm (or deny) this...

 

[Shagsbeard]

I think what ever you do in this regard is pretty close to optimal. The growing/harvesting of cheato to remove nitrate is a long term project... it doesn't really matter when you start it. A ball of cheato is also home to all sorts of interesting critters though, and they'll tend to do better in a tank without a lot of ammonia in it. The plant itself shouldn't care too much about the traces of ammonia that you'll see in a cycle.

 

[JOSEPHLB]

How is "Cheato" pronounced?

 

[EdKruzel]

There is the fact that many of the life forms that hitch hike on the algae may not make it through the more toxic portion of the cycle, but even as tough as Cheato is, it can go brittle and die off if parameters are off by too much. I'd wait until the Nitrites begin to drop and the Nitrates begin to rise, this should help to speed up that portion of the cycle and be much safer for all life within the system.

And it is pronounced; Key-toe-morph-ah.

 

[sgallagher7]

Thanks for all the great feedback. Didnt want to kill it off if i introduced it too early. Will it help at all in the cycling?