Are total bacterial counts part of the test? I remember a few advanced aquarist articles that showed overall counts varying pretty dramatically and unsurprisingly with husbandry techniques such as skimmer/no skimmer, carbon dosing, perhaps Refugium (can’t remember that one). Having total population counts seem quite important to this conversation, does tank that have 10x more bacteria have greater diversity or are a few types becoming more dominant- and is that diversity still there just harder to see via PCR because the much more prevalent species amplifying so much more readily because that tank has 10 or 20 times more bacteria. And which is better? Or does it matter at all. You can nano drop to see the amount of DNA extracted but ideally using something like a flow cytometer.
Ah here is the link and it was looking at GAC and uv as well.
Ah here is the link and it was looking at GAC and uv as well.
Feature Article: Bacterial Counts in Reef Aquarium Water: Baseline Values and Modulation by Carbon Dosing, Protein Skimming, and Granular Activated Carbon Filtration
What are the bacteria populations in the water column of reef tanks, and how does that value compare with bacterial counts in authentic reef water? Does carbon dosing indeed increase water column bacteria populations (i.e., is growth carbon limited)? Does mechanical filtration (protein skimming...
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