"Biodiversity is dead, long live biodiversity" 10 month microbiome data from BRStv.

[GARRIGA]

So does the AF Life Source pass your BS Filter? I ordered some, and want to know if this is just snake oil or a cheap biodiversity multiplier. My tank is coming up on 6 months, and it started with dead rock and dry sand. There are lots of corals I purchased, other reefer's rubble, and coralline is just started. I have added multiple type of bottled bacteria as well.

What's the difference between that and Miracle Mud? Have seen the latter and somewhat grasp that and it's potential to bring diversity but no clue on former yet now considering it. Although if the same then which is having a better source?

 

[taricha]

So does the AF Life Source pass your BS Filter? I ordered some, and want to know if this is just snake oil or a cheap biodiversity multiplier. My tank is coming up on 6 months, and it started with dead rock and dry sand. There are lots of corals I purchased, other reefer's rubble, and coralline is just started. I have added multiple type of bottled bacteria as well.

Here's what I conclude from the BRS data. The tank system that got AF mud additions had a bacterial community in the end that looked the same as the control that got nothing. So doesn't seem it shifted the community in any clearly measurable way. Unlike some other sources. see below

Group A - Red circles: Ocean direct Live Sand and Aquaforest mud converged to a very similar community by the end as the Control that got no intentional bacterial seeding. In my opinion it's hard to see that as a positive result. If I'm adding material to try to create a certain community - I'd like the eventual community to be measurably different than if I had added nothing at all. It seems that whatever those media had different to offer - in terms of the bacterial community, it was less important than what they all got the same - saltwater, clownfish, fishfood.

In Red circles, I have those treatments that by week 10 and 15, had converged together with the control that got nothing but dry rock and sand.
In shades of Green I have the treatments that seemed to converge to another kind of community in the week 10 and 15 results.

 

[Jimbo327]

The AF and control does not look the same to me.