Well, you have Red, Green, and Brown/Black Macro algaes. You can have fleshy, turf, and calcareous algae types.
I have caulerpa. I havent had too many issues with it as far as it going sexual. I was running it on a 18 hour cycle, but bumped it up to a 24/7 light period to keep it from going sexual. I like it because it spreads amazingly fast, my fish would eat it if I chose to make it available to them, and my pods flourish in it.
Then there is chaeto. Which is can be used as a floating mat or can be spead out like a turf algae if you want. It is slower growing, but wont go sexual like caulerpa. A lot people like chaeto because they say it is very tolerant. Not many fish will eat it either.
Red algaes I dont believe are as effective nutrient exporters as greens, thats where my experience stops.
I dont believe anything will eat calcareous algae, like halimeda. But more and more articles are popping up about how they are great nutrient exporters.
Maybe fleshy will pop in, I know he has more experience in macros then I do.
