Halimeda going sexual?

[FLOPPYFISH]

My Halimeda was green yesterday and now is white with these green spores on them. Is it going sexual? If it is what should I do? Take it out?

Thanks Matt

 

[dattack]

What I know is Halimeda turns white when the lights are off, possibly by it's pigments. Also, a good calcium level helps in it's growth. If it's truly dead, then yes discard it.

 

[O P Ing]

hi.
It is true that Halimeda will have a lighter color when the light is off, but in the pic, the whitish branch is dead with pores on the outside, as the original poster said. It is normal even when no appearant stress is present, so don't get all nervous and start to dose iron and every element on the periodic table!

Just leave it in the tank. The spore will give rise to other Halimedia if your condition is right. If you don't want them (e.g., want to keep Ca high for the coral, but don't want Halimedia, aka calcium sponge, to give you more work than you really needed), then get rid of them.

 

[Captain1]

Mine is almost snowwhite first thing in the morning. After the lites have been on for about an hour it's back to dark green

 

[Mac1]

Ditto OP Ing's first paragraph. If it is dead, leave it in there. That little plant right there, is exatly what created the famous "White sand beaches" of the carribean. When the plant dies (the green stuff on the calicum skeleton), it leaves behind the calcium skeleton it plates down as it grew. This skelton, is in fact, arragonite sand, basically. Very good stuff for your tank IMO.
Besides, once it's died, it's gone, it's not like removing the skeleton will prevent further fouling of the water (as is the case with macro algea's).

- Mac