Removing Cheato for Nutrient Export?

[Jgoal55]

I remember reading on here that someone removes some of their cheato every once in a while for "nutrient export." Did I read that right or did I misunderstand?

If so, is this something that should be done regularly? Personally, I've only ever removed Cheato when it overgrows the sump compartment it's in.

If it should be removed every so often, what percentage do you suggest removing? I imagine that in a small tank if you remove too much you could potentially cause a mini-cycle.

 

[mrx66699]

Jorge removal of some may assist growth of what you have left by making more food available for it....but as you stated removing too much of any type of nutrient removal at one time may have negative impacts on the system overall

 

[rovster]

The whole purpose of having the chaeto (well not the whole purpose) is for nutrient export. Nutrients get bound up in the biomass of the chaeto, and by tossing it, you effectively remove if from the aquarium. Throwing away all your chaeto at once will not impact your current nutrients because those nutrients are not really in the water, but it can affect your ability to process nutrients from there forward.....

Hope that wasn't confusing. The growth of the chaeto is the nutrient export, not the tossing of it

 

[Jgoal55]

Thanks guys...makes sense.

Rovster, exactly what I was thinking which is why removing it "for nutrient export" made very little sense to me. I thought the whole point was to let it grow wild up until you needed more room for growth like Matt suggested.

Ok then, it only gets tossed when I need the space back.

 

[mrx66699]

Jorge now this brings up another good point. I have a bio denitrator and it has taken over and I now have a dt with 0 nitrates and very low phosphate....the Cheto is just dieing off and I have started removing small amounts each week and will till its gone....keep an eye on situations similar to this if you add other forms of nutrient removal you may starve off the Cheto and just want to remove it all together.

 

[Jgoal55]

Yeah good point. I run GFO but apparently its not keeping the levels down enough to kill of the cheato. It doesn't grow super fast, but it does grow. It's something I'll keep an eye on though as I try to stick to a weekly WC schedule.

 

[roblack]

Trim it regularly and eliminate any dying off of chaeto, which would be counter to the whole nutrient export idea.

 

[Jgoal55]

Thanks. Will do.