Aquarium Microbiome Report example
Aquarium Microbiome Report
Sample ID: MXXXXXX
Aquarium name: Main Display
Sample Name: Test 1
Sample date: 18/03/2026
Your Aquarium Microbiome Overview
Aquarium microbiome balance
The diversity of microbial species and their balance is extremely important for a healthy and stable aquarium. A high diversity and stable microbial abundance can reflect on a healthy aquarium. A low diversity or a skewed abundance of a particular microbe can suggest a biological stability issue. The data below shows the diversity and distribution of the microbial population in your sample.
Microbiome Species count
The diversity gauge shows the total unique microbial species detected in your sample. A healthy tank microbiome has a high or very high diversity.
Your sample contains 495 species of bacteria and archaea.
Alpha Diversity Indices
These scores go beyond just counting species. They measure how diverse AND how balanced your bacterial community is. Microbial Diversity Score looks at both the number of different species and how evenly they're distributed. Community Evenness Score focuses specifically on balance — whether a few bacteria dominate or if many types share the aquarium equally. Higher scores mean a more stable and resilient microbiome.
Microbial Diversity Score → Moderate-high (3.431)
A healthy diversity range for an established reef or marine aquarium. Multiple functional guilds are represented with no single taxon dominating. The system likely performs stable nutrient cycling with good microbial redundancy.
Community Evenness Score → Good (0.814)
Good evenness. Reads are distributed relatively evenly, with multiple groups contributing meaningfully to the community. The system has solid redundancy and is likely resilient to minor perturbations.
These indices are most informative when tracked over multiple samples. Always interpret alongside the microbial group charts — high diversity does not rule out the presence of harmful species.
Microbiome Distribution Chart
This chart shows how bacterial abundance is divided among species detected in your aquarium. Each dot is a species ordered from most to least common. A gradual drop indicates many species share the water — a steep drop means a few bacteria dominate.
Reference
Top Microbial Families
This figure displays the relative abundance of bacterial families detected in your aquarium. Each coloured segment represents a different family, allowing quick visualisation of the dominant microbial groups and overall community balance.
Family deviations from typical profile
Excess families (higher than typical):
- Kiritimatiellaceae
- Cellvibrionaceae
- Cyclobacteriaceae
Deficient families (lower than typical):
- Pelagibacteraceae (absent)
- Cryomorphaceae (absent)
- Pseudoalteromonadaceae (absent)
- Bacillaceae (absent)
- Flavobacteriaceae
- Oceanospirillaceae
- Flammeovirgaceae
- Alteromonadaceae
- Rhodobacteraceae
Top 15 Bacterial Genera
This chart shows the 15 most abundant bacterial genera in your aquarium. Each bar represents a genus and the coloured sections indicate functional roles such as nutrient processing, biofilm formation, or potential pathogenic activity.
Pathogens
Pathogens are microorganisms that cause diseases in animals and other organisms. In aquariums, they can lead to infections, weakened immune systems, and outbreaks that threaten the health of fish, corals, and other inhabitants. Identifying and managing pathogens early is essential to maintaining a healthy and thriving tank.
Fish and coral Pathogens — Detected
| Host | Common name | Species | Abundance (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coral | Vibrio | Vibrio owensii | 0.957% |
| Fish | Vibrio | Vibrio fortis | 0.612% |
| Coral | Vibrio | Vibrio mediterranei | 0.544% |
| Fish | Vibrio | Vibrio agarilyticus | 0.506% |
| Fish | Photobacterium | Photobacterium damselae | 0.201% |
| Opportunistic | Vibrio | Vibrio tubiashii A | 0.131% |
| Opportunistic | Enterovibrio | Enterovibrio coralii | 0.108% |
| Opportunistic | Vibrio | Vibrio nigripulchritudo | 0.073% |
| Coral | Vibrio | Vibrio coralliilyticus | 0.054% |
| Opportunistic | Vibrio | Vibrio taketomensis | 0.039% |
| Opportunistic | Vibrio | Vibrio marisflavi | 0.037% |
| Opportunistic | Vibrio | Vibrio europaeus | 0.033% |
| Fish | Vibrio | Vibrio ponticus | 0.021% |
| Opportunistic | Vibrio | Vibrio sp000169995 | 0.012% |
Microbial groups by function
The bacteria and archaea in your aquarium can be grouped by their functional roles in the ecosystem. These microbial functional groups work together to cycle nutrients, break down waste, and maintain water quality. Understanding the abundance and balance of each functional group helps identify potential issues before they become visible problems. The following sections break down each group detected in your sample and compare them to typical healthy reef aquarium profiles.
BioFilter
The biofilter bacteria can be divided into 4 groups: Ammonia Oxidisers, Nitrite Oxidisers, Aerobic Denitrifiers and Anaerobic Denitrifiers. This chart highlights detected bacteria involved in the aquarium nitrogen cycle.
Ammonia Oxidisers
Your sample is within the typical range (0.001–0.1%) — Your sample: 0.039%
These bacteria convert toxic ammonia to nitrite.
Nitrite Oxidisers
Your sample is within the typical range (0.003–0.2%) — Your sample: 0.010%
These bacteria convert nitrite to nitrate.
Aerobic Denitrifiers
Your sample is within the typical range (0.1–2.0%) — Your sample: 0.810%
Aerobic denitrifiers reduce nitrate under oxygenated conditions.
Anaerobic Denitrifiers
Your sample is within the typical range (0.01–0.5%) — Your sample: 0.062%
These bacteria perform denitrification under low-oxygen conditions.
Cyanobacteria
This graph shows the abundance of cyanobacterial families. While some cyanobacteria are normal in aquariums, high levels often correlate with nuisance blooms that can smother corals and indicate nutrient issues or poor flow.
Trace levels are common and normal in a reef environment but over 1% is often an early sign of a bloom. Your sample: 1.25%
Waste Degraders (Organic Degraders)
These bacteria are involved in organic carbon degradation, including those that digest detritus, mucus, and leftover food. Excessively high levels may suggest overfeeding or elevated organic loading.
Your sample is within the typical range (5.0–15.0%) — Your sample: 11.787%
Complex Polysaccharide Degraders
This group includes bacteria specifically adapted to break down complex polysaccharides released by macroalgae and turf algae. Elevated levels suggest algae-derived organic matter is strongly influencing the microbial community.
Your sample is above the typical range (0.0–10.0%) — Your sample: 13.263%
Biofilm / EPS Formers
This graph highlights bacteria known to produce extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and form surface biofilms.
A moderate presence is normal; a sudden increase could point to organic waste accumulation and pockets of low flow.
Your sample is above the typical range (2.0–5.0%) — Your sample: 11.845%
Pollutant Degraders
These bacteria are capable of breaking down oil, hydrocarbons, detergents, and other environmental contaminants. Their presence is normal but may rise after contamination events.
Your sample is above the typical range (0.0–0.1%) — Your sample: 0.313%
Sulphur Cycling
Sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) produce hydrogen sulphide (H2S) — a toxic gas that can harm fish and corals. Sulphur-oxidising bacteria (SOB) convert H2S back to sulphate, detoxifying the system.
Sulphur Redox Index
A value closer to 1 means oxidisers dominate and H2S is being actively broken down. A value closer to 0 means reducers dominate and H2S risk is elevated.
Sulphur Redox Index: 0.021 — SRB strongly dominate (SRB: 10.996%, SOB: 0.232%). H2S risk is high.
Sulphur cycling bacteria — Detected pecies
Algae Interactions
This graph compares bacteria that stabilise macroalgae surfaces with those known to degrade or suppress algae, providing an indication of whether the microbiome favours persistence or natural regression of nuisance algae.
Phosphate Assimilators
This shows the relative abundance of bacteria capable of assimilating inorganic phosphate from the water. Higher relative abundance suggests active biological phosphate uptake.
