Cutting caulerpa?

Hi guys, looking for tips on pruning Caulerpa algae?
to be exact the species i have is-"CAULERPA SERRULATA"
think this is also known as "saw" or "razor" caulerpa.
I have some growing in my main tank and want to prune it back, but have heard it can go sexual if you just cut it.
Does anyone know a good procedure for trimming it back?

 

I haven't heard of Caulerpa going sexual from thinning. It goes sexual from lack of nutrients. I think you can just cut the runners from the batch you wish to remove and carefully pull the hold fasts free from whet ever they are attached.

 

It can definitely "go sexual" if you prune is incorrectly. Try not to pinch it mid-streamer, but follow the "vine" down to where it connects. Razor doesn't go sexual very often compared to some of the caulerpas. I've only had it "go" once and never due to the trauma of pruning.

 

Caulerpa is holocarpic....i.e. one cell. If you cut it, it doesn't go sexual but it is very similar. The secondary metabolites (toxins) will muck up your water so always run carbon. The best way to trim Caulerpa spp is to do a waterchange. Keep some of the "old" water in a bucket. Move the entire mass of the Caulerpa into the old water, trim as necessary, and let the remainder sit in that bucket for a couple of hours for all of the other nasties leak out too. Then move the small amount left back to your refugium (and now would be a good time to change your carbon as well).

 

Ya, that's why I put it in "".

I can't say I've ever gone through that much trouble to prune macro. It's attached to the rocks and I'm not digging out rocks to move it to another container for pruning. I've never had a problem with intank pruning. Sure, it "leaks", but not enough to actually affect anything.

 

The caulerpa is growing in the main tank, i dont have a refugium.

I alaway have active carbon running in the tank.
Im now very conserned about it as i dont want my water quality to be affected by trimming the caulerpa! (ironic really as i added it to help with nitrate levels!!)

 

It is of no concern, IME. Pinch the runners off, don't arbitrarily "grab and pull" and you will be perfectly fine.

Razor is the least likely to cause such problems anyways.

 

The toxins (the main one being Caulerpenyne) mainly affect SPS corals. Incognito is correct....different species of Caulerpa have different levels of secondary metabolites.