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This is a huge subject. But in a nut shell, it is really the environment provided, more than the media type, that creates the species mix. So after you have the surface area max'ed out to accommodate the microbes that will be cultivated by the nutrient you provide, and the environmental parameters and chacteristics you create, you are pretty much done.
Where the media does count is in how it packs are a total structure and how that in turn, effects the environment you are trying to create. So media that attracts organics or media that packs and channels is a media that will actually change the environment over time- and therefore the species mix.
The rest is really harmless marketing. There were many marketing campaigns that promoted the idea of two tier media that grow both anerobic and aerobic species. This was based on a model of biofilm that is now considered one dimensional in understanding.
As for the little black circular plastic screens- they are from the photography industry and were not originally designed for/as filter media. But they work well as a suspended/dynamic surface anyway. As for The harboring of small critters? Marketing at it's best, I think. We really only want those species that contribute to the biofilm function. After that, large populations of lower forms of life represent a burden to overall BOD and are just other mouths to feed and maintain. Be careful what you wish for- JR
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