I built an island in 2013 .
Here is early shot of it
Here is a bit of moss that did really well below the ATO inlet, it actually spread almost to the waterline and spread upwards to the left.
Morning glories did very well, they would pop up every few months and die back. I tried planting a few seeds this spring in one of the built in containers but they died quickly. I probably need to add fresh soil. I think salt creep has entered the soil areas.
This is a fall shot from 2013 with things growing out.
Currently I have added a few succulents still in their orginal pots to see how they handle the environment and they are growing. I reduced the lighting this year since my 90 watt PC was making the tank really hot and drying things out quickly. I'm planning a partial rebuild to make better containment areas. I believe salt creep has filtered into many of the rock areas where things used to grow.
I think containment of growing areas and using salt tolerant plants would work over a reef system or say NEXT to a reef system. If I was to plan a different land/water system I would think along the lines of a drop off tank with the upper section being dry land and the bottom be reef. Possibly lighing each separately depending on what plants are used. A crafty person could even design a planted area next to a current reef setup and allow a few rocks to hang down into the water.
I found an extensive lists of salt tolerant plants on the internet, mostly on landscaping sites for East Coast beach dwellers. I also feel that plants tend to grow quicker than corals so the ability to change out plants would be required, like keeping plants in its own pot and not directly planting into a rocky crevice where salt may eventually get to them.
There really isn't much info on the web regarding saltwater vivariums, I've looked high and low. I did happen to find this neat little crab tank that a New Zealand guy had going for a couple of years, i think he misted it daily.
www.gardeningknowhow.com
