It is such a joy to watch fry grow up! They are about 2.5 months now and really getting some nice colors! They are also sparring more and developing individual personalities. It also looks like I have a lot more males than females, which is perfect for paternal mouthbrooding bettas! I really love how the fry can hide in the subwassertang and peek out at me when they feel brave :)

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
​​

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.

Playing around with the room temperature white worms and also an update on the killifish fry :)

Disgusting worms!!! >.<

Updates!

An entire video devoted to my little red eye red belly puffer fish! Love this little dude.

Betta rubra is my favorite mouthbrooding species. You really can't beat their vibrant colors, friendly behavior, and the fact that they breed like rabbits!

Thankfully the levamisole appears to be working on whatever mysterious parasite my fish were carrying. They are eating again and I hope that they can start growing again as well. I will be repeating the treatment twice more in the coming weeks to really make sure that it is fully eradicated. 

Some basic tips on spawning this prolific species:
- They are a very hardy species that is not picky about water quality.
- Pairs or reverse trios (2 males with 1 female) work best with this species. Although they spawn in group situations, they can concentrate on each other much better in a pair or reverse trio situation.
- Removing the female after spawning helps the male concentrate on holding the fry to term. I usually cover the tank as well.
- Let the male recover after they spit fry! Sometimes the female will insist on spawning again right away. The male can literally starve to death!
- Fry are large and take BBS as soon as they hatch.

Whoops! I keep forgetting to post my videos on my website as well as on YouTube! Subscribe to my YouTube channel so you can get a notification whenever I post something :)