These data represent the results of a long-term colonization experiment at the Long-Term Ecological Research observatory HAUSGARTEN. Recruitment panels were constructed from plastic and brick and deployed attached to a metal frame in 1999 at the station HG-IV (Arctic Ocean, 79 N, 04 E, 2500 m depth). The experiment was recovered in 2017. Following recovery, all invertebrates and foraminiferans on the panels were counted using a dissecting microscope on board R/V Polarstern and then saved in 95% ethanol. Species were identified by reference to published literature and taxonomic experts. Species richness was low compared to surrounding hard-bottom communities, indicating that Arctic benthic communities may take decades to develop.