Need cheato knowledge

I have a RM300 Sealife Systems sump/refugium that is a decent size. The refugium is about 12x15 and has a 5" sand bed along with a couple pieces of live rock. This is my first time with a refugium and have a question about the cheato. The cheato is about 6 months old and started out about the size of a baseball and now its at least 8" across. The thickness of it has more than doubled.

Question: Does it ever reach a point where it has exhausted it's ability to eat nitrates? Do I have to trim it down? Should I put fresh cheato in?

Attached is two pics. Front view and looking down inside the fuge.

 

just trim it to the size of a baseball and throw the rest in the garbage along with the nitrates it is holding....nutrient export at its finest!!! Then do it all over again

 

nitrates are it's food so, no it will not exhaust itself. It can die without proper lighting and conditions, but it's algae. yes, you can cut it(scissor). I took a wad of mine back to the lfs about 6 months after I got it. It out grew the fuge. Did a great job of eating the nitrates up.

 

Ha, your's looks like mine, thin GHA growing on the ends of the cheato and all! Just trim off the stuff with the GHA and let it regrow.
Next time I trim mine, It will go into my other tank when I start that fuge.