research paper

[Toothpik]

Hey guys! Im about to do a research paper on clown loaches! great topic huh? so im doing my prelimanary outline...could any one suggest good ideas for a section? so far i have care,habitat,breeding,food. any input is much appreciated!

[andyroo]

Toothpik,
Academic/grad, undergrad, (hi)school or fun?
Literature review or research/novel?
Your description looks like basically an essay on husbandry.
Fair enough, but.....

If you want something interesting that will be more likely to get you an A (assuming your marker/teacher is in any way inspired):
There are some LOL postings from the past (couple of) years to do with skin/slime toxicity and/or chemical defense in CL that could well base a novel research to PhD level. It would also be an interesting discussion/comparative topic based on bright colours in other (toxic) fauna for even a high-school paper.
And you could achieve loach-folk-immortality by posting it here on LOL when it's done :) Just be sure to reference your collaborators (Martin, Emma, Loachmon, Mick-The-Fish, Diana et. al.)

The low-hanging fruit is never as sweet....
A

[Toothpik]

its for my high school paper i love clown loaches and i learned so much about them just from the hobby...i want to learn more and of course since it is in high school i would like an A lol but of course i would put down the people who helped me! or else that would be very wrong of me

[andyroo]

Is your teacher an absent minded professor-type who will appreciate an interesting discussion paper, or the (usual) call-and-response turkey that killed my boyhood curiosity?
Either way, there's no reason why you should not challenge your teacher.
Keep us posted ask questions and have fun,
A

[Toothpik]

actually my teacher is a pretty open minded one...once she found out my topic she said she thought it was interesting

[andyroo]

So.... what's your topic?

[andyroo]

I help a lot of students who come along with a teacher-posed research question like "why is Caribbean coral in decline". OK, there is about 2800 pages in this question, and ultimately IT'S NOT INTERESTING. ...at least to anyone actually interested in coral.
So i pass them a textbook and ask them to choose one reason of the many, then i help them delve further into on that focussed question to find the meat.
Be careful of nebulous, descriptive questions that do not challenge you. You're a student, not a news-reader. And you're interested, so learn something new. Learn it in detail. Discuss it with interest and passion.
You know about the husbandry of Chromobotia macracanthus, so why research what you know? Choose a detail of it- it's natural habitat and ecology, the history of capture and husbandry, the history of captive breeding, it's evolutionary history, the biomechanics of it's head to empty a snail shell (no simple feat, similar "buchal pump" mechanics as a nurse shark), capture methods and recipes used by Bornean natives.... Something interesting.
:)
Now....... GO !
A

[Toothpik]

woah! that is some great stuff thanks! i want to give a general over view but husbandry is what i will probably home in on.

[starsplitter7]

If it is allowed, use some pictures. I always put pictures in my papers.

It's great you already know you need to cite your sources in your papers. Citing websites can be a little tricky, and of course the species description on this website would be a great place to begin.
[As you know, you have to cite (document where you got your info) your sources or it is plagarism. What grade are you in? I am just curious. I used to teach Frashman Comp at USF, and my students often didn't know about citation and why they had to do it.]

[Toothpik]

im a senior in High school..private school so this would be roughly my 10th research paper so far haha...and to be honest this is by far my most interesting topic! And of course, citing works is very important.Because I know if I wrote something and published it, I would like some credit too!

Ps. I dont see why i cant use pictures

[andyroo]

Is there are a section for academic papers on loaches/loach associated biology or ecology etc.... on LOL?
Note the loosely veiled/screaming hint to the moderators :)
A

[Mad Duff]

Is there are a section for academic papers on loaches/loach associated biology or ecology etc.... on LOL?
Note the loosely veiled/screaming hint to the moderators
A

The closest we would currently have to that would be the article section http://www.loaches.com/articles

[redshark1]

As usual, I would advise avoiding clicking on the above link.

[loachnoob]

would love to see some active admins here

[FranM]

Wow cool!

I would talk about their “scalessness” and they are prone to white spot (ich) and worms. They can be very socialble and are easily hand fed. They like their water especially warmer than the general tropical fish population. OH and the playing dead resting trait.....