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.