keeping a live plants in saltwater

Question
hey there, can you tell us the do's and dont's about keeping a live plant/s in saltwater aquarium?  

- clark
- add me in ym
- tnx in advance :)

Answer
Hey Clark,
Plants? Do you mean macro-algae? As far as "plants" go, Halophytes are plants that can survive the salt content of marine environments. There aren't many, and all are what you see on coastlines, estuaries, etc.. Sea Cord Grass(Spartina), and Mangroves are the most common. They can generally be purchased at gardening or pet stores. They will need to be acclimated over a 4 week period to saltwater, unless you find a vendor or store that sells them that way(aquaticgardens.com used to). All they need is 6,500k sunlight and nitrates/nitrogen which our little buddies provide. Same can be said for most macro-algae. There are a few species(not many) that just dont do well in closed systems and Caulerpas are a HUGE NO NO. Most species are ILLEGAL in most states(Grape/Prolifera species mainly), and can become toxic during it's sexual stages. Halimeda(Penny/Coin Algae),Chaetomorpha(Maidens Hair), Halimenia(Dragons Tongue), and Gracilarias(Red and Green) are the easiest to keep(They grow like weeds!). They are also pretty and keep the water quality great! I keep Chaetomorpha and Gracilarias in my sump/refugium as they grow extremely fast and then I trim them back and share with friends. I keep Halimeda and Halimenia in my displays and do the same. They are much prettier macro-algae and tend to grow much slower. Just need light and nitrates/nitrogen. Hope this helps.