# Importing Error Message while Importing

**URL:** https://forum.qiime2.org/t/importing-error-message-while-importing/13693
**Category:** Technical Support
**Created:** [February 19, 2020, 3:23am UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/importing-error-message-while-importing/13693 "2020-02-19T03:23:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![barry\_guglielmo](https://forum.qiime2.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/3bc359/32.png) [@barry\_guglielmo](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/barry_guglielmo)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2020, 3:23am UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/importing-error-message-while-importing/13693/1 "2020-02-19T03:23:32Z")

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Hi There,

I am trying to look at the relative taxonomic abundance of bacteria in a given illumina sample so I want to load the data in then create a dada2 output and then [follow this post](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/relative-abundances-of-taxonomy-analysis/4939). I am using the following code and running into an error "Importing 'SingleLanePerSamplePairedEndFastqDirFmt' requires a directory, not /home/boom/Desktop/qiime/manifest.csv"

Command:

```
qiime tools import \
--type 'SampleData[PairedEndSequencesWithQuality]'\
--input-path /home/boom/Desktop/qiime/manifest.csv \
--output-path /home/boom/Desktop/qiime/demux.qza

```

manifest.csv:

```
Sample-id,absolute-filepath,direction
#HB35,,
Sample-1,/home/boom/Desktop/qiime/HB35_R1.trimmed.fastq,forward
Sample-1,/home/boom/Desktop/qiime/HB35_R2.trimmed.fastq,reverse

```

I tried this with and without the # line. Do you have any suggestions?

Best,

Barry G.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![jwdebelius](https://forum.qiime2.org/user_avatar/forum.qiime2.org/jwdebelius/32/9655_2.png) [@jwdebelius](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/jwdebelius)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2020, 8:48am UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/importing-error-message-while-importing/13693/2 "2020-02-19T08:48:42Z")

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Hi @barry_guglielmo,

Welcome to the :qiime2: forum!

I think you're missing a `--input-format` argument. The [tutorial](https://docs.qiime2.org/2019.10/tutorials/importing/#fastq-manifest-formats) is really helpful for checking if you've got all your arguments right.

Best,  
Justine