Bobby is active in many sports, including bowling and skateboarding. He likes to go to the movies and visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Bobby would like to become a marine biologist someday. He says he enjoys going with his dad in his inflatable boat to "watch the sea otters play in the kelp beds."
Jacques Cousteau, a pioneer in marine science, is Bobby's science hero. Bobby notes that scientists exploring Monterey Bay use many of Cousteau's practices now.
Bobby's father and grandfather are aquarium keepers, and Bobby noticed that the colors of the aquarium fish that originated in warmer waters were more vibrant than those living near his home in the cooler waters of Monterey Bay. He wanted to test whether the water temperature alone could influence the color of the fish.
Bobby set up two identical fish tanks. In the control tank, the water temperature was set at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The test tank was set at 80 degrees Fahrenheit. He populated each tank with the same combination of healthy guppies. He selected guppies because they can live in a wide range of water temperatures. After just a few days, he began to notice that the guppies in the warmer tank were "exhibiting significantly brighter colors" than those in the cooler waters. Having carefully controlled all other variables, Bobby was able to conclude that the warmer water was responsible for the brighter colors of the fish.
