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My earliest memories of fish were 7 (3 spot) gouramies in a 2-gallon turtle bowl (short and fat goldfish bowl). My Dad had bread and raised when I was a knee high. I grew up on Galveston Island. I got my first 5-gallon metal frame tank when I was in Jr. High School. On Saturdays, I would go to the local pet store and buy the newborn Platys, Guppies and mollies for a nickel. When my first tank was full of fish, my Dad brought home another tank. By the time hurricane Carla hit I had my own fish room, 2 - 45 gallon home made all glass breeder tanks and an assortment of metal frame tanks that my Dad had produced as if by magic. After the Hurricane, we came home to find the House and all my aquariums destroyed.After High School, I joined the Navy, where I learned a lot about applied probability and statistics. Which seemed to go hand in hand with genetics. While stationed in Florida I became involved in the crossbreeding of Persian and Siamese cats to produce a new breed known as Himalayan. I also got involved in Tropical fish again and accumulated a dozen tanks. I raised livebearers and started spawning gouramies of all kinds and Paradise fish. I attending monthly meetings of the Mobile Aquarium Society and in 1971 helped form the Pensacola Aquarium Society. When I got out of the Navy, I left cats and aquariums behind and moved back to Galveston. Once again, I started accumulating aquariums. I got up to about 2-dozen and after a couple of years, I moved to Houston for work and became a member of the Houston Aquarium Society. I was active in their breeders program, breeding catfish and Cichlids, along with livebearers and anabantids.I met a wonderful woman and we got married. We had 3 children and I only had time for a 40-gallon community tank in the living room. It moved with us to St. Louis where it kept Sunfish caught by the children in a nearby lake. And moved back with us to Houston when we returned home. Not too long ago my children grew up and my job did not require as much travel and Yes, the insanity struck again. I picked up a 10-gallon tank at a garage sale. (It's nice to be able to isolate new fish and make sure they aren't sick before I put them in the community tank.) And a 5-gallon tank there. (It's nice to have a tank to put the little babies in until they grow up.) And a couple of 29s at a pet store that was closing (now I have a place for that pair that is always trying to spawn in the community tank.) and a 140-gallon tank from some co-workers that were moving back north. (Wow, I've always wanted a really big community tank). My involvement in the Hobby has mushroomed. I have always loved the colorful patties and guppies. I have an assortment of ciclids, livebearors, catfish, gouramies, and a community plant tank. June of 2001, my wife brought home a Blue vale betta in a flower vase (She was a school teacher and one of her students had given it to her) not much later, I found a blue female in the local pet store and so why not, my first spawn of bettas hatched on Pear Harbor day 2001. About that time, at the local pet store, I found a red Cambodian double tail female (always my favorite) but no male. In my search for a mate, I discovered bettas on the Internet. The Betta-bug bit me.
Soon thereafter, I discovered BettaHabari, our Houston IBC chapter. The International Betta Congress establishes judging standards for bettas and sanctions international betta shows every other weekend in the spring & fall (about 12 shows each year). The BettaHabari will host an international show this laborday weekend. Bettas from all over the world will be express shipped to us where they will be unpacked, displayed, judged by certified judges from Austin & New Orleans and shipped back home or auctioned off. Beautiful fish can be bought but in order to show bettas you must have bred and raised them yourself.
Soon thereafter, I discovered BettaHabari, our Houston IBC chapter. The International Betta Congress establishes judging standards for bettas and sanctions international betta shows every other weekend in the spring & fall (about 12 shows each year). The BettaHabari will host an international show this laborday weekend. Bettas from all over the world will be express shipped to us where they will be unpacked, displayed, judged by certified judges from Austin & New Orleans and shipped back home or auctioned off. Beautiful fish can be bought but in order to show bettas you must have bred and raised them yourself.
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