Genus:
nymphoides
Type:
sea can
Family:
Menyanthaceae – buckbean family (water lily family)
Hometown:
USA
Height of root with plant:
30 cm
Light:
bright
Temperature:
18 – 28 degrees Celsius
Growth:
medium height
pH:
5.8 – 7.5
Degree of hardness:
extremely soft – hard
Co2:
an additional supply is to be considered
propagation:
daughter bulbs or seeds
Difficulty:
none, beginner plant
Location in the aquarium:
in the background
Look
Show_ryu, Nymphoides aquatica, marked as public domain, details on Wikimedia Commons
The water banana is an extremely decorative and sturdy aquarium plant. She is one of them solitary plants and can also complete a successful planting in the aquarium on its own.
Receives the Nymphoides aquatica a species-appropriate supply, it grows extensively. It thrives above the ground and reaches the water surface. The root shoots are thick and banana-shaped storage roots. These so-called rhizomes produce the offshoots.
If the plant is still young, it forms leaves under water. On the other hand, floating leaves and white flowers on the water surface thrive on older specimens. The leaves are heart-shaped and vary in shades of green to reddish. The flowers consist of five petals and form a calyx. They develop at the stem node and are fused together. After a successful fertilization, seeds develop in the fruit capsule.
Reproduction takes place via the seeds. The most common breeding, however, succeeds via the daughter plants on the tuber. These shoots are carefully removed and planted.
distribution
The Nymphoides aquatica is found in the southeastern United States and Mexico. There it grows in shallow, slowly flowing to stagnant waters.
Hybrids with the aquatic plant Nymphoides cordata are known.
husbandry conditions
The water banana is one of the fast-growing and adaptable aquatic plants. It can simply float in the water or be fixed. Special clamps are recommended for fastening. After the plant has established roots, the clamps can be removed.
For good growth, it needs a good supply of light and CO2. The water temperature should be mild and between 18 and 28° Celsius. The suitable degree of hardness of the water is between soft and medium-hard. A pH of 5.5 to 7.5 would be ideal.
The formation of flowers can be prevented by removing the floating leaves. As a replacement, underwater leaves of up to 30 cm in size are formed.
The tubers of the water banana are storage tubers. They grow long and banana-shaped. When planting, they must remain above the aquarium floor. Otherwise they rot and die.
Since the Nymphoides aquaticaie absorbs nutrients through the leaves, regular water changes are advisable. A liquid fertilizer is also advisable for the necessary nutrients.
particularities
As a rule, the water banana is available as a tuber. This is often hardly or not at all afflicted with foliage. The reason for this is the fine growth that can easily break off during transport. After planting in the aquarium, the tuber soon sprout again and thrives splendidly.