Experiment Ideas!

Hello, I have been reading through Simplydiscus.com for quite some time now, and was very intrigued by many of the experiments in the laboratory section. I thought I would create a post for people to share ideas and an example experiment layout so the users of simply discus can draw inspiration for potential experiments.

I have several experiments that I would like to try out (once I actually get into discus), but don't know if it will be practical (at least not for a few years, that is, until I have breeding pairs). I will share my potential experiments so hopefully someone else may be able to test them to fulfill my curiosity, and of course, the curiosity of many other simply discus members.

Please add to this post to help discus keeping as a hobby to evolve so we can enjoy the healthiest potential fish in the future.

Experiment #1

How much water change is necessary to produce the maximum sized discus possible?

Process,
Take 3 - 4 55g, split a large batch of fry evenly amongst the tanks, each having 3 spongefilters
heat the whole room (ideally) to ensure all tanks are EXACTLY the same temp.
Weigh the food so all tanks get identical amounts of food. ( you could, for example, feed the discus 4 times a day, 5 grams each feeding)

Tank 1 gets 100% p/day waterchange
Tank 2 gets 50% p/day waterchange
Tank 3 gets 100% every other day waterchange
Tank 4 gets 50% every other day waterchange

Whilst undertaking this experiment, be sure to take record of water parameters frequently (weekly perhaps?)

Parameters to be recorded
Temperature
Nitrates
Phosphates
Ammonia (just incase)
Nitrites (just incase)

Hopefully by undertaking this experiment, along with others, we could as a community create an ultimate guide to raising the largest, most beautiful discus possible with the highest efficiency (least time, money and work) possible. We could identify where discus growth plateaus, and ultimately, help each individual decide exactly how many waterchanges / feedings etc, they should be doing.

Experiment #2

How much food must be fed in order to obtain the largest potential discus

Process
Take 4 55g aquariums, split a large batch of fry evenly amongst the tanks
Have all 4 aquariums running off a single sump (to ensure same water parameters)
(alternatively put sponge filters in the aquariums and plumb the aquariums together so they share water parameters)

Feed tank 1 4 feedings p/day
Feed tank 2 5 feedings p/day
Feed tank 3 6 feedings p/day
Feed tank 4 7 feedings p/day

Feed all tanks the same mass and type of food each feeding. (we could possibly find the best grams/fish roughly)

Regularly record fish size (perhaps fortnightly?)

Experiment #3

What factors are responsible for limitations in fish growth?

Process
Take 3 - 4 55g, split a large batch of fry evenly amongst the tanks, each having 3 spongefilters
heat the whole room (ideally) to ensure all tanks are EXACTLY the same temp.
Weigh the food so all tanks get identical amounts of food. ( you could, for example, feed the discus 4 times a day, 5 grams each feeding)
Do 100% waterchange p/day(to minimise variables as much as possible)

Tank 1 - Dose aquarium water with nitrates to maintain a concentration of 50ppm nitrate in the aquarium
Tank 2 - Dose aquarium water with phosphates to maintain a concentration of 5ppm phosphate in the aquarium
Tank 3 - Control
Tank 4 - something else that could cause a reduction in fish growth

As Im sure everyone's aware, the general concensus is that if you do less waterchanges your discus will simply not grow as big. I have read that some hypothesize that discus release hormones into the water that, in high concentrations, limit their growth. Many seem to have limited success using things like algae scrubbers and refugiums to reduce nitrates and phosphates. The purpose of this experiment is to identify exactly what is the culprit of reduced growth rates in discus. This may give us a better idea as to how we can treat it and maximise growth.

Experiment #4

Are UV sterilisers truly helpful in increasing fish growth in high nutrient environments?

Process
Take 2 55g, split a large batch of fry evenly amongst the tanks, each having 3 spongefilters
heat the whole room (ideally) to ensure all tanks are EXACTLY the same temp.
Weigh the food so all tanks get identical amounts of food. ( you could, for example, feed the discus 4 times a day, 5 grams each feeding)
Do 50% waterchange p/week(We want high nutrients, don't want to go to extreme though)

Tank 1 - Control
Tank 2 - Put on drastically OVERSIZED uv steriliser (This is because, in my opinion, manufacturers recommendations for UV sterilisers for hobbyist use are significantly larger tanks than they can really have any impact on, and we want to exaggerate results to see if they can have any impact on fish growth)