Sexual Gracilaria

[captain7359]

I've had a couple of bunches of what i believe to be red and green gracilaria for 4 or so months now for nutrient export. I've read some and heard about algaes going sexual and wreaking havoc on systems but i think mine may be doing it in a slower manner. The big bunches of algae have a whitish colored flakes/clumps on them. I can shake the algaes around in the water and this stuff comes off like a big dandruff storm. Is this the plants reproducing or something else. The small red bunches are not as covered as the bigger green and red clumps. should i break the big pieces apart (now about 6-8" in diameter) so that they don't do this or does it matter the size.

 

[TypeSH]

taggin along....
I have some Gracilaria and am not sure if it can go sexual. I also have some cualerpa proliferia that I think has gone sexual. The water is a little cloudy and there are little brown spores surrounded by white filaments everywhere.

I hope gracilaria cannot go sexual becuase I just removed all my caulerpa.

 

[billsreef]

Gracilaria does reproduce sexually, however, not in the self destructing manner of Caulerpa. So no fears The flakes and dust is likely just debris that is being caught in the tangle of gracilaria and nothing to be really concerned about. Just shake it off ocasionally

 

[captain7359]

cna you tell from the pict if it is gracilaria that i have.

 

[billsreef]

I'd need a close up picture, particularily of the tips. There are quite a few red branching algaes that resemble gracilaria, so it will be a best guess

 

[aqua_obs]

If it does go sexual and disolves does it release anything? Nitrates or other stuff back in the water? Should it just be trimmed back to prevent it from going?

Sorry to horn in on your thread.

 

[billsreef]

Gracilaria doesn't dissolve when it reproduces sexually. That's one of the benifits of the stuff