cheato not growing very well?

I have had this cheato in my fuge for over a month and it just doesn't seem to be growing. It isn't dead but I was wondering what is the usual growth rate of it? Does it depend on the lighting? Or is there something I can dose the fuge with to help it along?

 

It won't grow fast if your light is weak or your nitrates and phosphates are low.

 

Agreed, if your nitrates are low, then it grows really slow. I have a ball of chaeto in my tank and it will grow to about softball size or so and then stop. I trim it back and then within like two weeks it's back to full size. It will get to the size where there is just the right balance of nutrients for it to live and it just seems to put a hold on the growth.

 

Well I just learned something today.

 

So I guess it is safe to add more fish then.... nitrates are 0 and my skimmer does a good job

 

So all you have now is the two pairs of clowns?

 

Without know anything else about the tank, I couldn't really say if it's safe to add more fish or not. I mean was there a cycle in the upgrade or what and what are the other levels?

 

ammonia/nitrite/nitrate 0 - SG 1.023 - 3 clowns total 120 DT 90 sump/fuge... the past 2 weeks i had a problem with cyano (based on response to another thread). I siphoned it all off the rock/sand and it hasn't gotten any worse since. I would like to add a cleanup crew before more fish because the last crew I added (~20 snails/15 hermits) all died. There are only about 3 hermits still living and none of the snails survived. I have no idea if this is due to the cyano that was growing or if it was an unhealthy crew but I wasn't happy about it.

 

I had two types of cheato in my fuge. One was dieing and the other has tripled in size in a week. I think it was to do with how quickly they can suck up the nutrients. One was out competing the other.

I would say you can add a few fish.

 

+1 with all the above advice. Chaeto is best if it is slow growing...that means your nutrients for its growth are low and you have hit on the perfect balance. Not sure if this was asked/answered, but you do have a light over it, right? If so, then I think you would be good to add more CUC and more fish.