Visit to my grandfather's fishroom!

My grandfather's fishroom!

My Texan grandfather - go big or go home!

My grandfather and I used to do horse shows together up until I left for college. It was great fun, and taught me that hard work can pay off. I really miss my old Skyler pony. We did everything from hunters/jumpers, to cross country, to herding horses and some trail riding, bareback to swimming, you name it. Our best time ever was at Canadian Nationals, where we got Top Ten in Hunterseat Equitation 14-17, one of the toughest divisions out there. I really miss the horse show circuit sometimes.

With the advent of college and PhD, small planted aquaria started to sneak into the picture. Now my grandfather and I can still share bettas, even if he's in Seattle and I'm in San Francisco!

Skyler - stubborn as heck, but worth it.

Betta mahachai - my grandfather's foundation male

Lowlight planted tanks are a staple in my grandfather's fishroom

My grandfather mainly focuses on wild Betta mahachai (more information on this fantastic species can be found here on the IBC Species Management Program website). He also recently got a couple of pairs of Betta enisae, and they seem to have spawned and are holding!

My grandfather prefers to have relatively large, low-light planted tanks to house his bettas. Occasionally he will jar a few bettas, but he would much rather keep them in larger tanks to maintain water quality. If there's one thing you can put money on, it's that my grandfather's water is going to be pristine!

Meticulous note taking

Plump mahachai female in her 20 gallon planted sorority

My grandfather's favorite bred so far, sprightly male mahachai affectionately named "Junior"

Grandmother making sure he does everything correctly lol!

Another shot of Junior, flaring up a storm!