It is because if it werent' for Tom. my Fresh WAter tank wouldn't be so under control, and if it weren't for tom, I wouldn't have time to get into trouble by dreaming of a planted dwarf seahorse tank.

I have a little 8 gallon rimless finnex I want to try with.

Any grass at all that can grow in 2 inch substraight that is findable?
Any way I can use a hang on back aquafuge without breaking that tank?
what macros do you recommend to start with?

will 23 watts of light be enough. I ahve that fixture or I can get the 20 inch coralife that is 50/50 at 28 watts if a hit of actinic is needed here (can add them or use one or the other)

what brand of salt/reef crystals do you recommend for the least muss.
for substraight do I need soil base if only macros? What substraight do you recommend.

I'd like to keep the tank at about 74 degrees, and 1.020 salinity for the dwarf horses. Id like the small refugium to help keep some copeopods going.

tank must be planted. I am an addict.

I am happy to dose n k and the smallest if needed amts of p (I may have a little in my water.. nyc) I hear excel won't work for the same reasons it helped me kill fw hair algae .. tank too far away from my fw set up to share co2 and no real safe place for pressurized wehre this tank is going (still got the 2 kids under 5) so I figure I can try diy if you recommend co2 this time around.

anyone who feels like sending me some starter plants in exchange for a little cash toward their next supplies let me know. Advice please. I've already touched base with Sarah, but I don't want to swamp her! and besides.. this is ALL TOM'S FAULT

I am starting a planted salt water tank for seahorses. small .. 2 inches of substrate, mixing sand and some of sarah's mud.

any suggestions, help, hints would be ever so welcome. I am new to salt water.
My 30 gallon fw cube is ei/co2/tombarr all the way.

this will be a smaller tank.

As soon as you start using brackish water your choices for plants get much, much smaller. I suggest doing some searching here and on google for brackish water plants.

Seagrasses require a deep substrate, about 6 inches minimum. You could try Caulerpa prolifera. It is very easy to grow and has a grassy look. I use prolifera as a grass substitute since my pistol shrimp keeps mowing down any attempt at keeping a deep, level substrate.

actually sarah has suggested a couple of "shallow" grasses that can flourish in 2 inches of substrate. I'm going to try anyway.

I know this will be different than fw.. i want to take advantage of the folks here who have done both so I can learn some marine habits and momentarilly unlearn some fw habits.

not sure how much of my fw experience applies here.