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My gorgeous banana plant isn't surviving the reaquascaping I did in my twenty gallon too well... it had broad (2-4" across) leaves that have steadily detached from the plant and floated off. The leaves looked okay for the most part, but the stems got mushy and just let go. You can see it in the front left of my tank, after the aquascaping.



Now two leaves remain and one is already starting to get mushy. This is one of my favorite plants... can I save it? Will it come back if it loses all its leaves? And WHY is it losing it's leaves? I've never heard of banana plants suffering from moving around like crypts do!

This was a very healthy specimen, often sending up lily pads and new leaves. I can't believe all the leaves it's lost over the past week. All I wanted was to move it so you could actually SEE it, as it was half-hidden by watersprite. *pouts* Help![/font]

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

I have had a similair experience with this plant. Don't worry, it should be fine. Mine was starting to send up lily pads, when I introduced a columbian ramshorn aka giant ramshorn. Didn't know it was a herbavore. It clipped off one or two leaves before I had the chance to get it. The banana plant didn't send out anything for a while, just had like 2 leaves left that started to look sort of sickly. I thought it might be the end. Finally after a month, a few leaves started comming out of it. It began to get big, and after a while, I broke it in half and planted both parts. Now both are sending lily pads to the surface. Just remember, those banana nodules are not for show. The plant stores all its good stuff in there.

Yeeks... all the leaves are gone now. *waits anxiously for new growth* Good to know it should come back... thanks!

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~