Which calupera DOESN'T go sexual?
 

I have an aquapod 24 with a 1G finnex "breeder box" HOB that I have acting as a mini fuge and has a divider in it. One side has some mud from florida pets, other side is empty. I HAD cheato but removed the divider at the time and it ended up just floating on top and turning into a bacterial mat.

Just clean it all up, put the divider back so flow is back to normal and has a tumbling like effect in the first chamber where the water input is.

Anyway, chaeto is constantly breaking bits and making its way into my back chambers and clogging pumps and stuff. I've stuck some sponges, etc in the way now but I'd like to minimize that happening and think calupera would perhaps be a better choice, but I'm concerned about it going sexual.

Which species do not have the sexual meltdown issue, or is there another fast growing algae I can order from live plants dot com that works well for nutrient export and pod growth?

I had caulepera in my reef - what a nightmare to get rid of!! It is illegal to buy, sell, trade in California.
Mark

Because you are limited in space, I don’t see macro serving your needs. Chaeto reactors and ATS come to mind for limited spaces. In both of those situations you are doing nutrient export. I prefer to do nutrient recycling with pods eating biofilms inside of sump compartment and then letting pods feed the tank.

Aside from utilizing a space what was your purpose for the refugium?

Given the right conditions, all macro can go sexual. Fast growing macro with intense light strips nutrients from the tank, then goes sexual. So, if you are concerned about sexy macro, it would be best to get slow growers.

sexy macro meltdown!?!?!

The nutrient removal is just added benefit, not really meant for that specific goal. The goal is just for micro life in a fuge. Pods, worms, etc. I have a possum wrasse that loves pods so the more I can breed the less I need to buy and add in. Also I love biodiversity and try to encourage it.

The site I order my pods from had ulva on sale so I ordered a small ball of that. I've had calupera years ago and it was a nightmare when it got into my main tank, but I have filters and such in the way this time so it would only get in there if it went sexual basically. For some reason I swore there was a species of calupera that was safer in that regard and less invasive.

I live in arizona, we don't have any laws against any macros, or most exotic pets for that matter lol.

If I have to I'll go back to chaeto, but it seems with it I always get tiny little broken off bits that escape down into my back chambers and clogging my pumps no matter how many sponges and catches I have in the way between the HOB fuge area and my tanks back chambers, and sometimes it makes it all the way into the display. Since not much likes to eat it I end up having to chase it around my tank with a net or my hand.

If caulerpa is being pruned regularly it does not go sexual. I have been keeping it for 20 years and have never had it go sexual on me. If keeping it in a sump with the light on 24/7 it will not go sexual either but that is not possible in a display.

Some of the red macros like red titan grow thick for good pod growth. Perhaps that would be an option as well.