AquaBiome is a new company that is offering a novel kind of water test for our reef aquariums, one that gives some practical measurement and analysis of the microbiology of our captive reef ecosystems. Just like ICP opened the door to understanding water chemistry beyond the mineral and organic constituents, the AquaBiome water test uses sophisticated DNA sequencing to analyze the microbial community that is so important to aquarium health and balance.
There’s countless ways to get hung up on the minutiae of the way we build our reef tanks; from the type and amount of rock or sand, how much light and water flow we provide, and the endless chase of ‘perfect’ seawater chemistry, both organic and inorganic. However much we think we may be in charge of what happens in our reefs, or in our bodies, it’s fairly well accepted that microbes run things, especially the bacteria.
As far as we can tell, AquaBiomics is the first to offer a service that aims to analyze and make sense of the bacterial communities in our reef water. Even with a moderate background in marine biology we are thankful that AquaBiome doesn’t just overwhelm reefers with the relative populations of bacteria they discover in your reef tank water, but also gives some feedback as to what it means and how it affects our reef aquariums.
This new service is so different, and we are collectively so ignorant of what different bacteria groups even do, that we have no idea what discoveries may be unlocked by using the AquaBiomics test. We’re really keen to learn more about what the bacterial communities can tell us about our reef tanks because just like the elements we can’t see in our water, the Microbes in our reefs are critical to aquarium, coral and fish health. [AB]
