Water Lillies in tanks

I purchased it as a drawf lilly Nuphar Tetragona I believe
though dont hold it to me

I've never had good luck with water lillies in my aquariums. They due good for a few weeks and then all the leaves start to get holes in them and die off.

I've never had good luck with water lillies in my aquariums. They due good for a few weeks and then all the leaves start to get holes in them and die off.

I think I read somewhere that was due to a disease or bug of some sort?

The best water lilies I ever kept weren't actually lillies, they were bananas.
I don't have any now, or pics, but in the past I've had great luck with the plain old banana plant sold in the big box pet stores.
If given a deep, soft, rich substrate [mine was clay kitty litter under fine river sand], banana plants send up surface leaves that are exactly like miniture lily pads. Mine got light from 4/ 40 watt cool white bulbs in shop light fixtures and no CO2. They would have completely covered the tank surface if I let them.
Obviously you don't get lily flowers from these, but then I highly doubt you'd get flowers from real lilies in an aquarium either.

I purchased it as a drawf lilly Nuphar Tetragona I believe
though dont hold it to me

Robert,
You may mean Nymphaea tetragona?
Do a google search - does it look similar?

The best water lilies I ever kept weren't actually lillies, they were bananas.
I don't have any now, or pics, but in the past I've had great luck with the plain old banana plant sold in the big box pet stores.
If given a deep, soft, rich substrate [mine was clay kitty litter under fine river sand], banana plants send up surface leaves that are exactly like miniture lily pads. Mine got light from 4/ 40 watt cool white bulbs in shop light fixtures and no CO2. They would have completely covered the tank surface if I let them.
Obviously you don't get lily flowers from these, but then I highly doubt you'd get flowers from real lilies in an aquarium either.

Banana plants (Nymphoides aquatica) should always be grown in the substrate. They are not really to be grown in the manner that they are sold - they will eventually peter out. Once planted, they are a very robust and impressive plant. In fact, this is the species I would recommend to anyone wanting a water lilly look in an aquarium. Also, they DO bloom, but it is a different shape flower, very pretty in its simplicity; small, white with 5 petals. Often has very pretty purple mottling on the leaves.

I purchased it as a drawf lilly Nuphar Tetragona I believe
though dont hold it to me

This looks a little like the Nuphar lutea ssp. sagittifolia I saw at Lake Waccamaw. That species is probably too big for most tanks, but the dwarf Nuphar like you have are good choices.

The best water lilies I ever kept weren't actually lillies, they were bananas.

They're not really bananas, of course. You're talking about Nymphoides aquatica. It's an excellent choice if you want the effect of lilies in your aquarium. They're undemanding and fairly small by comparison, and one of my favorite aquatic plants.

I guy I know collected some Nymphaea sp. recently that have stayed small and thrown lots of leaves under his normal output florescent lighting. I'm going to try and finnagle a cutting from him to try out. There may be a few native water lilies (or is it water lotus?) that are well suited to aquaria.

Banana plants (Nymphoides aquatica) should always be grown in the substrate. They are not really to be grown in the manner that they are sold - they will eventually peter out. Once planted, they are a very robust and impressive plant. In fact, this is the species I would recommend to anyone wanting a water lilly look in an aquarium. Also, they DO bloom, but it is a different shape flower, very pretty in its simplicity; small, white with 5 petals. Often has very pretty purple mottling on the leaves.

How high above the water do the blooms go? I would enjoy having some of these if I could get them. Just need to know how much space I need between the hood and the water surface for it to flower. Would the "pads" reach the surface of the water in a 55 gallon tank?

They should do fine with just a few inches between the water and the lights. A 55-gal will work just fine. You can buy them at may pet stores.

They should do fine with just a few inches between the water and the lights. A 55-gal will work just fine. You can buy them at may pet stores.

I've been looking at Petsmart, with no luck. Petco used to have them, but they went out of business (mainly because they put their store right next to Petsmart, which has been there for more than a decade).

I've been looking at Petsmart, with no luck. Petco used to have them, but they went out of business (mainly because they put their store right next to Petsmart, which has been there for more than a decade).

You can get them from any online aquatic plant dealer, but the shipping will be murder if it's the only thing you're ordering. I have a few more than I need at the moment, send me a PM if you're interested.

yes, I forgot to mention to bury the "banana" in the substrate. Also, the part about deep, soft, rich substrate is important. In gravel or sand they seem to live a long time and put out many submerged leaves but never send up the "pads".
And yes, they'll easily reach the surface in a 55.

yes, I forgot to mention to bury the "banana" in the substrate. Also, the part about deep, soft, rich substrate is important. In gravel or sand they seem to live a long time and put out many submerged leaves but never send up the "pads".
And yes, they'll easily reach the surface in a 55.

That's what I figured you had done. I hate it when they sell plants in a manner that they will not survive, just because they look cool and people will spend money on them that way. Banana plants look the way they do because Nymphoides species reproduce vegetatively at the base of the leaf pad. The plantlet gets swollen roots there that will help tide it over after it breaks off until it can get rooted somewhere. Althought all the Nymmphoides species do it, the banana plant is the one with really swollen rootlets.

You are quite right about the subsrtate needing to be rich (for aquatic setups, that is - not rich as far as houseplants are concerned). These are heavy feeders. If after a long while growth starts to look poor, take a little piece of a plant food stick (sold for houseplants by Jobes and Miracle Grow) and jam it down by the roots.

I grabbed a couple of water lillies from a private pond across my street. They are growing great!

Well, my Home Depot special is growing great under the compact fluorescents, with about 4-5 leaves having reached the surface. Another plant, in a 55 gallon high under a Home Depot 48 inch T 8 shop light, has sent out as many leaves, but none have broken the surface.

I grabbed a couple of water lillies from a private pond across my street. They are growing great!

Me want photos...

post up some pics with them in your tank.

Nymphaea tetragona are really beautiful. I have some of those at home. Water lilies are one of my favourite flowers and so I have put some efforts into growing some in my garden pond. Haven't tried it in a tank however!