# Banana plant woes



## GailC (Feb 13, 2013)

I picked up a banana plant after I heard they were low light and easy to grow but mine seems to hate the tank its in. It has nice healthy bananas and is starting to send out nice roots under the gravel but the leaves keep rotting away. There is also a fair amount of brown algae on the bananas I need to get cleaned off.
Its in a 10 gallon with a fluorescent light that came with the hood. Temp is around 80* and I do not use any type of fertilizer. Java fern and java moss are doing well.


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## WolfHhowling (Apr 10, 2013)

GailC said:


> I picked up a banana plant after I heard they were low light and easy to grow but mine seems to hate the tank its in. It has nice healthy bananas and is starting to send out nice roots under the gravel but the leaves keep rotting away. There is also a fair amount of brown algae on the bananas I need to get cleaned off.
> Its in a 10 gallon with a fluorescent light that came with the hood. Temp is around 80* and I do not use any type of fertilizer. Java fern and java moss are doing well.


Some times aqu plants shed all there leaves when they get to a new tank, its because its adjusting I wouldn't worry about it if its getting new leaves.

if its not getting any leaves.... I would buy a fert. The reason being, you don't have enough nutrients for a lily that likes a lot of it.

Also it sounds like the algae is not helping, do you have any hornwort in your tank? If no try adding some or some snails to combat the Algae it can kill aquatic plants.


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## GailC (Feb 13, 2013)

It grows new leaves but with in a week or so, they also rot away. I have snails and shrimp but none go near the plant. I'll look into getting some fertilizer.
I never have good luck with hornwort, the little leaves always fall off making a absolute mess of the tank. I need to get some anacharis if I can find any, it's illegal to sell in my state.


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## frankiefire (Feb 26, 2013)

I agree to try some ferts. My banana plants are thriving in my low light tanks. I use seachem flourish once a week.


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## mushumouse (Dec 29, 2012)

ugh, i had literally the exact same problem with my banana plant. i dosed with flourish for a few weeks and it seemed to help most of my plants (and all of my algae, lol) but had zero impact on the banana. the only thing i was able to find online was that they apparently do their best when they're in a fertilized substrate like ecocomplete or (i would guess) soil, and i only have plain sand, which maybe wasn't enough when coupled with the low light. i'm going to give it another try with root tabs later on and see what happens.


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## Shadyr (Mar 27, 2012)

I've had mixed luck with mine. One of them actually had the opposite problem of yours - all the bananas rotted off. Eventually the whole cluster fell off. I disposed of it...the plant itself is still happy and growing, and seems to be trying to develop some new tiny bananas.

Two of my others went the same route yours did.


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## RiceFish (Feb 9, 2013)

My banana plant is actually thriving only after a few days I put it in. It has already sprouted new leaves


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## GailC (Feb 13, 2013)

I wonder if it would like it in a pot of soil better. I don't want to do soil in the whole tank but a wide shallow pot would be easy enough to set up.
I pulled it out of the tank today to clean the bananas off and its not algae on them, they are just a weird brown on top like a sunburn. Not soft at all so I don't know whats going on.


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## Artemis (Mar 9, 2013)

Mine is doing really well, it's in a tank with some other plants but mostly plastic. It does better for me with high ammonia.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

my ramshorns loved to snack on my banana plant leaves >.> mAybe u just didnt catch them in the act


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## GailC (Feb 13, 2013)

Nah, its not the snails. The leaves and steam get kinda clear then go soft. There is never any chunks bitten out and I don't think the trumpet snails I have eat plants.


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