AquaBiomics is closing

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

All,

I just received an email saying that AquaBiomics is closing at the end of the summer.

AquaBiomics Is Closing
I'm writing today to announce that we're closing AquaBiomics at the end of summer 2026.

The reason isn't dramatic - it comes down to the economics of scaling this kind of business. I've written about my reasons for this decision here, if you're curious to learn more.

Thanks to your samples, your questions, and your trust, we learned a lot together about the microbial ecology of reef tanks. I'm sorry to go, and deeply grateful for getting to explore this frontier with you.

-Eli Meyer
AquaBiomics LLC

 

[Peace River]

Jay, thanks for sharing this unfortunate news.

 

[exnisstech]

The entire message from Eli is below for anyone interested. I've never used the service but I respect that he appears to be honest and open explaining his reasons instead of lying or just disappearing.

Full notice

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

My opinion why it did not take off, and why I did not use it, was due to a lack of actionable results for most people.

I once had a boss who stated that there was no point in doing any experiment unless the result would change what you planned to do. That does not necessarily apply in an academic setting, but in an industry or in reefkeeping it would seem to apply unless one is doing it just for fun.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Jay, thanks for sharing this unfortunate news.

I'm a bit frustrated by this news. I had run a number of eDNA samples and collected other samples from R2R members. I was going to collate the data and try to draw some basic conclusions. Now, there seems little point in doing that since other people wouldn't be able to apply my results to their own testing.....

 

[Peace River]

I'm a bit frustrated by this news. I had run a number of eDNA samples and collected other samples from R2R members. I was going to collate the data and try to draw some basic conclusions. Now, there seems little point in doing that since other people wouldn't be able to apply my results to their own testing.....

Definitely frustrating. I certainly understand the economics, but I also strongly believe that there is so much to be learned in this space and it will be the future even if it’s not now. In the meantime, I am thankful for Eli and what he did to push us in that direction.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Congrats Eli on what you were able to accomplish and build. I hate to see your business close but I understand the reasoning based on your statement and I agree with the decision. I'm happy for you that you have new direction in life. Hope to see you around the forums.