Probably the last post before the presentation

The final paper has been finished. All that's left to do is prepare and revise the presentation and put together an abstract. This has been a rewarding experience , despite setbacks and issues in contacting people. Again, the kuhli breeding experiment and the Instagram page will continue past May 1.

More of the final paper was typed today. I have yet to add the section on learning in fish. Computer issues and a relative lack of work done this weekend kept this paper from being completed.

  Today I wrote more of the final paper. I have to finish this weekend. Yesterday a potential judge e-mailed me asking to judge earlier than the 30th. This compresses the timeline somewhat, giving less time to practice and polish the project. Tonight I will try to contact someone who works at the Aquarium Boutique to be my final potential judge.

Today I typed more of the final paper. I intend to do much more of it, possibly even finish, this weekend. With that done, all I have to do is get one more judge to agree on the date and send my advisor a mentor form.

The final date and time for the presentation has been set: April 30th at 11:45 A.M. The final paper, which still is being worked on, is being typed up. Given my current progress, I'll finish everything before the due date comfortably.

 Today I finally replied to Dr. David Portnoy. I sent him two possible dates (April 23rd and the 30th) and the required information to become a judge. I also wrote more of the final paper. At this pace, I will probably finish this week. After the presentation, I don't intend to stop the Instagram page and the "aborted" breeding attempt.

Today I e-mailed two more potential judges and found more facts to post on the Instagram page.

 Today I posted the blog entry meant for Monday. I wrote more of my final and decided to revise the kuhli loach film.

This is supposed to be Monday's blog post.

 I e-mailed 4 people: 3 potential judges and my adviser. Two of the judges mentioned scheduling issues when I offered the potential date of May 1st, which is a date another potential judge offered. The other people haven't responded yet. I also wrote more of my final paper and started a survey for the kuhli loach film. Speaking of which, the film will probably be more polished over the weekend, because it looks rather unprofessional now.

Today I looked at potential judges from Texas A&M, who won't give me any money to attend. There are at least 6 people I can contact. To prepare for the final paper, I looked back at my own sources to see which ones I could use.

Yesterday I emailed about 3 potential judges from Texas A&M who worked in wildlife and fisheries. One replied today, saying he was busy next month and unavailable. He directed me to one of his former Ph.D students who works at a different campus. I also collected more facts for the Instagram page. I'll probably post my huge backlog tomorrow.

Today the computers still had issues, so I wasn't able to get much done. I continued my search for judges and watched the video in a nearly-complete form. There were issues in the volume modulation and the picture looked choppy. Perhaps I have to record new film? This video needs to be complete soon and judges lined up, so I can actually present this project.

Today I tried to edit the video at school, but my software was outdated and the computers were having trouble logging in, so I couldn't really do anything about it at school. I'll have to wait until I get home to make more edits. Instead, I posted more pictures to More Than Swimming Drones's Instagram page. I need to find ways to advertise it so more people see the page. The kuhli loaches themselves probably won't breed by the time of the presentation, so that will be mentioned as the result of my effort to breed them in a limited timeframe like this. Work also started (emphasis on started) on the document that will make up my final paper, presentation, and second video. It will be my sole focus once I finish the first video.

Yesterday I contacted two potential judges: Dr. Melanie Stiassny and Dr. Luis Rocha. They are both expert ichthyologists with years of experience in the field. If both people agree on becoming my judges, I'll have a full panel ready on April. I also did more work on the kuhli loach film and will finish it at school. Now is the time to prepare the final presentation.

Today I recorded the kuhli loach script and put it with some recorded video. It's roughly three and three-quarters of a minute long. I will add transitions and increase the visual appeal next. All fish now respond to the orange square stimulus positively. After next week, I will use color as a stimulus. The loaches have slightly more girth but no behavior I'd call a precursor to spawning.

Today I continued my search for judges. I just found out I can use Skype to communicate through the final presentation, so I can potentially use people from faraway places. This makes looking for judges much easier, so I probably will contact the ichthyologists that my adviser had recommended me to contact. I also realized a massive oversight in not having voice-recording software on my phone. This has been rectified, so now I can begin recording the script for the kuhli film. The script for my second video, final presentation, and final paper will be worked on next month. Ditto fish learning, as other things like scholarships and homework, as well as my own laziness, has prevented me from collecting decent data.

I finally emailed my advisor today. I sent her all the documents I've produced so far. There has been more active swimming from the kuhli loaches, but I haven't been able to go into too much detail in observation this week. Ditto the fish learning , because I only have two days' worth of data from that. I will not give up on that, because I promised that I will be able to do the fish learning experiment and not give up on it like previous ideas. Only one judge is lined up for More Than Swimming Drones currently, and I still need two more.I need this to be done by March, giving me about 10 days to do this.   

Today I posted more things to the Instagram page. I got a comment about the type of carp I pictured in one of the fun facts saying I was wrong, but I cleared the air with the commenter. This week I will continue by search for judges and e-mail my advisor.

Today I found more facts to post on More Than Swimming Drones. They'll probably be uploaded tonight, time permitting. Since the first day of posting ,I haven't uploaded anything, reducing the effectiveness of the page. My loaches seem to be increasing somewhat in girth, making a spawning more likely before this project ends. However, it's not guaranteed the fish will spawn, and the video about the fish will not mention spawning unless it occurs.

Today I finished transferring the kuhli loach script and found more fun facts. To condition the loaches for breeding, I have started to feed them more. All five fish seem to be healthy, but one is oddly thin and has a transparent underside. Fish training has also restarted, and the fish are all noticing the stimulus. My second video will be heavily based on my final report. The script will literally be a simplified version of it. I still have only one judge, so I need to find a couple more soon.

  Today I started the Instagram page. It's called More than Just Swimming Drones, which is also this thesis project's new name. I also drew an anatomical picture for the kuhli loach film. Yesterday, I recorded more video for the film as well. Fish training hasn't restarted yet, though. I haven't had much time at home.

Today I will start the fish training. I have three bettas I can use for it, as well as a bumblebee cichlid and a green sunfish. The first batch of fish facts has pictures attached and is practically ready to be released. However, I still need a new name for this project. I can't go around calling this "my thesis project" much longer and the pictures can't be released without a name to put them under. A name would also make pitching this project to potential judges much easier.

Today I continued my search for judges. I looked at the Texas Stream Team, both Dallas aquariums, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and the Boutique Fish Shop. None of these places had any individual contacts, so I have to look harder or look elsewhere. I also typed up the fish facts so they'd have a more permanent place. They will be released this week under a new Instagram account. This month also starts the attempt at actually spawning the loaches and restarting of the fish training.

I found a judge. Her name is Bren Ledbetter, and she's a naturalist. She took interest in my thesis project after it was mentioned on Facebook. I still need to find two more though, and fast, because I want a decent time to present. The first batch of facts will be released next week, with breeding attempt for the loaches soon after. I still haven't decided on a name, so I need to do that quickly.

I need to find judges. Since there is such a limited timeline for presentations, I need to search in Texas, primarily. I'm currently considering someone working at the Dallas World Aquarium or the owner of a successful local fish store. I will have this done February. I need to get a guaranteed spot both judges can agree with. Today I collected some more fun facts to use with fish pictures. Since I'm good at drawing fish, at least one will be hand-drawn. If this takes up too much time, I'll stick to digital pictures. Fish training will start back on February as well. This is because of flux in the current inhabitants of the fish tanks.

Today I started modifying and typing the kuhli loach script. More importantly, I found out the openings to give my final presentation. They take up most of April and the first of May. This means everything must be finished by the end of March. Next month I will modify different parameters of the water to attempt to breed the fish, as they are all acclimated to their environment. With the deadlines known, I must find 3 judges for this project that don't live an inconvenient distance away. I also must produce a massive number of pictures with fun facts for distribution on social media, as this was promised in the previous presentation. Lastly, the recent announcement of a ban on college work during thesis time frees up time for more work on the aforementioned things.

Today I finished most of the film's script. I just need an ending. Another issue is the tone. Should I be serious or humorous, and the conflict shows in what I have so far. I also started FAFSA, which I intend to finish before the end of the month.

Kuhli Script

   Today I wrote more of the script for the kuhli loach film. It will double, in modified form, as the article I'm producing alongside it. The article will contain every detail I can find about the fish, while the film will be toned down to fit within 5 minutes. I also have been taking notes on the fish I have at home. I'll start posting them here.

1/2: 5 fish added (2 from store, 3 I own). More plants added, for cover. 2 new fish have slightly shorter, thicker bodies than 3 I own. Small copepods were observed on the substrate. Fish immediately dove for cover. Crushed Fluval Cichlid Pellets given before lights were switched off.
1/3: Nitrates: 5-10 ppm
Nitrites: 0 ppm
GH: ~140 ppm
KH: ~80 ppm
pH: ~ 7.0
Fish are still in hiding. 2 (possibly the new ones) occasionally dart up and down the sides of the glass. There's a large snail population that could potentially serve as food.

Today the final presentations were given. With the time left after, I submitted a couple of college applications. I also started writing the script and taking video for the kuhli loach film. Phase 2, or final product production has begun.

This project needs a new name.

    Today I added more to the presentation. I have 7 slides typed and about 12 written. I'll finish typing it tonight, probably. Mrs.Marchio finally responded, and sent me some useful information, like potential thesis judges and the name of a koi sales website that shares a name with my thesis project! Therefore, I must change the name. I also have been continuing to record the behavior of the kuhli loaches.

Happy New Year!

   Over the break, I finally set the tank up for the kuhli loaches. There are currently 5. I'm also recording everything they do in my thesis spiral. As of now, the fish are eating and not exhibiting stressed behavior in the new tank. Despite being often noted as nocturnal, the loaches swim around during the day sometimes. Today I also started an application to UNT and my midterm presentation, due next Monday. This presentation will be twice as long as the previous one and explain what I've learned and answer the questions posed by the previous presentation and in this blog. After the presentation, all attention will focus on the kuhli loach film. The script will come first.