C'mon retailers — let's see this fish acclimation kit in the UK!
A simple design constructed well can be a wonderful thing, and this kit is definitely one of those things. If only we could purchase these direct in the UK, I’d be delighted, says Nathan Hill.
So how do you spruce up what is essentially a very thin syphon? Aquarium Münster found a way. First of all, there’s the shepherd’s crook, a rigid, bent walking stick of tube with a foam strainer on the end. Yup, a strainer. There’ll be no stray bits of leaf suddenly plugging up this nozzle and ruining everything.
Then there’s the manual starter. Just below the walking stick resides a bulbous, squeezable bubble of plastic. Pinch it a few times and the water flow begins.
Towards the delivery end of the syphon, there’s the flow controller. Rather than a traditional clamp or valve, there’s a rolling ‘mangle’ design that turns out to be a quadrillion times better for fine tuning than it looks.
Finishing it off is another, fine filter, and a sucker to hold the outflow in place. For something that’s just designed to transport droplets of water, it’s comprehensive.
The final touch, the flourish of the kit, is the tiny 10ml bottle of stress-protect. Think dechlorinator with aloe vera, iodine and vitamins added, and you’ll be close. A few drops in the transport water helps to shore up any mucus lost in transit, in turn boosting the fish’s own defences.
Verdict
Does everything right and takes the frustration out of acclimating fish. Essential buying for anyone who collects delicate species.
Ease of use: 5/5
Features: 5/5
Value for money: 3/5
Overall: 4/5
Price: €12.80
More info: www.aquarium-munster.com/en/