Overall, cheato is used widley in the hobby just because it does not absorb large amount of anything asside from nitrates. When you talk about things like mangroves and hamildas or other calcifying macro algaes, they do absorb calcium just as our corals do. It becomes up to you if you want them in your system and gauging if you can keep them happily supplied with calcium.
I am currently only running cheato in my fuge. I have not finished plumbing my new 55, but it will be running a dual reactor for phosban and activated carbon. Obv the phos-whatever is good at reducing phosphates. These canisters and reactors become more effective the more water they can be in contact with, similar to a UV filter.