Long time no talk! I think it's safe to say that this year has turned out a LOT different than we all anticipated! 

2020 was supposed to a big year for me... we planned to get married, honeymoon in Hawaii, then go on an epic trek in the Borneo rainforest searching for giant tropical pitcher plants. Needless to say all of that was cancelled. Sigh...

Being home in quarantine all the time has its upsides though. I finally had the time to raise another spawn of Betta rubra and I've been expanding my tropical pitcher plant collection! I posted several videos on Betta rubra and Nepenthes on my YouTube channel and it feels good to be back. I am finally finding that elusive balance between work and my personal life. I absolutely love teaching, but I will say that I would never wish upon ANYONE the stress of learning how to teach full-time in a public high school! The learning curve is steep and the work-life balance is almost impossible, but I LOVE my students and colleagues!

I also started a separate website on my tropical pitcher plants called the Nepenthes Diary. Nepenthes are certainly less demanding than fish - no water changes, slow growing, interesting to research and collect, and just spectacular plants overall. Check it out! I hope to expand my fish breeding again in the future... probably when I retire!

A few new videos for you below! 

Until next time
​~Gianne
​​

The mama pindu from the previous blog post released her fry today! They are SO CUTE. Dr. Coleman had his timing down pat and collected the fry before she released them into the tank with their voracious relatives. 

My PI Dr. Ron Coleman (as in Principal Investigator and head of the lab I'm working in, not Private Investigator haha) discusses some of my favorite, and coincidentally most unique, fishes in the lab - two species of Crater Lake Cichlids (Stomatepia pindu and Pungu maclareni). I have to hello to the pindu every day - they are so beautifully and completely jet black and have the funniest mouths. Dr. Coleman's colony is at least 10 years old and going strong! Learn more about the lab's research at his Cichlid Research website.

Today we had another awesome episode on Selective Breeding with Joep van Esch! We covered a great variety of topics. Thanks to everyone that joined us! You lovely viewers are what make these livestreams happen! Also make sure to check out Joep's YouTube Channel too!

Hello all! 

Wow! I am really surprised by how long I forgot to post anything on my website! Time really flies when you're having fun. I'm so excited and happy to be done with my credential program at San Francisco State University, and further, I am proud to announce that I will be joining my dream high school this Fall! (Teaching Biology and, of all things, MARINE Biology!)

I have been posting (somewhat) regularly on my YouTube channel Inglorious Bettas. I encourage all of you that look here for updates to subscribe to my channel there, so you can get instant notifications whenever I post. I find it ironic that although my initial efforts were focused on my website with YouTube as a supplemental video platform, my online presence has now shifted primarily over to my YouTube channel with my website as a permanent and handy reference!

I will endeavor to try and remember to write blog posts when I post videos. Even though It is much easier to just hop onto YouTube and livestream on a whim, or to upload a video and post it on FaceBook, there is great value in organizing my thoughts via a blog post (and I can also include more "back story" and pictures over here!)

I have a TON of footage that I haven't edited yet (some from quite a long time ago >.< ) that got put on the back burner with the rush of finishing my credential program, finishing up student teaching, going to the American Killifish Association Convention and judging the California Betta Society show, and then starting my summer research program at Sacramento State! I will be editing and posting footage soon. Have a Betta Day!

I came to Philadelphia this weekend to interview for the Knowles Science Teaching Fellowship. I decided to come a day early so that I could hang out with Mark Denaro, an amazing hobbyist turned business fish person who is the current president of the Labyrinth Fish Association and past president of the International Betta Congress! He has extensive experience in almost every kind of fish adventure - in fact, he has me convinced that I need to try salt water some time in the near future :)

Mark picked me up at the airport and proceeded to whisk me around Philadelphia. I ate an AMAZING Nick's roast beef sandwich (with broccoli rabe and italian hot peppers), fresh-baked Terminis canolis, and also visited Mark's Natural Pet aquarium store and Reef to Rift. We ended the night by checking out the Buck's Aquarium Society, where I met up with some awesome fish hobbyists (some who recognized me!) and came away with some awesome Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazines!

Phew! End of the challenge. I had to stop a couple of days early because I just had so much going on in the rest of my life that I had to stop. It was a wonderful month sharing my fish adventures with everyone! I may have to try doing it again one of these days!

Update on the CTPK fry! Unfortunately starting to see more swim bladder disorder :( I thought I was over the hump! However, the Betta rubra look great!

Forgive my voice for sounding like I've been chain smoking for 40 years lol - feeling quite sick >.< Hope you enjoy! I also love hearing about new foods to try with my fish, so let me know!