Available from December 2026

DNA BIOTEST Marine

For years you have been measuring the chemistry. Now you can see the biology.

Over more than twelve years, we have evaluated hundreds of thousands of ICP analyses. In the process, a pattern emerged that chemistry alone could not explain: two aquariums, almost identical values, completely different behavior. One has been running stably for years. The other loses corals for no apparent reason.

The difference lies in the microbiome.

With the DNA BIOTEST Marine, we make this level visible for the first time. Molecular biological analysis of the bacterial community – in the water and where the real work takes place: in the biofilm. You receive the total bacterial count, the complete bacterial profile, diversity indices and an interpretation you can work with.

Take your samples at the same time as your ICP analysis, and for the first time you have a complete picture of your system: chemistry and biology, the same point in time, the same basis.

Stop guessing. Start knowing.

DNA BIOTEST Marine – Microbiome Analysis for Marine Aquariums

ICP analysis shows the chemistry of your reef aquarium. The DNA BIOTEST shows the biology. Molecular biological determination of the total bacterial count and of the bacterial community in water and biofilm – including diversity indices and a structured results report. Sampling in just a few minutes, evaluation in a specialist laboratory. For the first time, a complete picture of chemistry and microbiology.

You already knew one half of the truth.

For more than twelve years, we have been analyzing the chemical composition of marine aquariums in the Fauna Marin ICP laboratory – macro elements, trace elements, pollutants, ratios. This data is reliable, reproducible and the foundation of any serious system management.

But it does not answer one question: why do two aquariums with practically identical water parameters behave completely differently?

The answer almost always lies in microbiology. A reef aquarium is not a chemical reactor but a biological system. Nutrient turnover, nitrification, denitrification, the breakdown of organic load, stability after interventions – all of this is performed by bacteria. By far the largest share of these bacteria does not live freely in the water but is organized in biofilms: on rock, in the filter media, on every submerged surface. Until now, this level has been invisible.

What the DNA BIOTEST Marine determines

The test works with two separate samples that are evaluated together.

Water sample. Aquarium water is passed through a special filter on which the bacteria it contains accumulate. From this, the total bacterial count and the composition of the bacterial community in the free water are determined.

Biofilm sample. The biofilm is collected with a cotton swab from a submerged surface. This area is the actual hotspot of microbial activity – this is where it is decided how a system processes nutrient cycles and how individual bacterial groups spread.

Both samples are prepared and analyzed in a specialist laboratory using modern molecular biological methods.

Your results report

• Bacterial profile – composition of the bacterial community, separately for water and biofilm
• Total bacterial count – quantitative measurement of the bacterial load
• Diversity indices – assessment of the microbial diversity in the system
• Graphical presentation – distributions and dominances at a glance
• Interpretation and recommendations – specific indications of conspicuous dominances or gaps

Reading chemistry and biology together

The real gain in insight comes from the combination. An ICP analysis shows you that the nitrate level is not falling. The microbiome shows you why. An elevated phosphate level combined with a shifted bacterial community is a different problem from the same value with a stable microbiome – and requires a different measure.

We therefore recommend taking the DNA BIOTEST and ICP analysis samples at the same time. The chemical and microbiological status then refer to the same system state and can be read directly against each other.

Single measurement or monitoring

A single measurement provides a snapshot and is useful for acute, unexplained problems. The DNA BIOTEST shows its true value over time: repeat measurements show whether a system is really stable and how it responds to interventions – filter changes, changes in livestock, feeding changes, the use of bacterial products or medication. Only the trend separates coincidence from cause.

Who it is for

Demanding reef aquariums, coral farms, import businesses, large-scale facilities, public aquariums and research institutions.

Analysis in a specialist aquatic laboratory

The evaluation is not carried out in a general environmental laboratory but in a laboratory specializing in aquatic systems. This is no minor detail: interpreting a bacterial profile requires knowing what a reef aquarium, a koi pond or an aquaculture facility normally looks like microbiologically. The same genus can be unremarkable in one system and a warning sign in another. Reference values and classification are therefore based on aquatic systems, not on drinking water or sewage sludge data.

The method: 16S rRNA sequencing

The basis is sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene – the bacterial marker gene regarded as the standard in microbiome research. The bacterial DNA is isolated from the water and biofilm samples, the marker region is amplified by PCR and then sequenced. The sequences are assigned using curated reference databases.

The difference from conventional bacterial counts on culture media is fundamental: cultivation methods only capture what can be grown in the laboratory – depending on the system, a single-digit percentage of the bacteria actually present. Sequencing captures the community as it exists in the system.

Potentially pathogenic genera

The analysis is not limited to the “good” bacteria. The entire bacterial community is captured – including genera regarded as potentially pathogenic to fish and invertebrates, such as Vibrio, Aeromonas, Pseudomonas or Mycobacterium. You find out whether these groups are present in your system and what share of the community they make up.

What matters is not so much their presence as their share: many of these genera are part of the normal colonization of aquatic systems. It becomes critical when they dominate or increase significantly over time. This is exactly the shift the test makes visible – before it shows up in your livestock.