For us reef keepers, there is little better than opening up our Christmas presents to find shiny new aquarium gear under all of that wrapping paper. Well that was exactly the case for me, as I tore away at the paper not knowing what I was in for. Each rip slowly revealed more and more of a very clean and slickly built box. I had received the Coral Propagation Toolkit from EcoTech Marine.
Upon revealing the very generous gift, I found that opening the bamboo box required a little bit of force. It was a reassuring kind of force though, a kind that screamed quality and intent. This was due to four magnets being strategically placed along the front corners of the box to keep it securely closed, keeping all of the gear inside and in place. On the rear side of the box there are two hinges that open and close smoothly. They are internal hinges that are invisible to the outside world and don’t distract from the overall look of the toolkit.
Inside the box, we found all of the surgical tools of an active reef enthusiast. Included in the toolkit is a 75ml bottle of the famous EcoTech Coral Glue, 6.3″ tweezers, 5.9″ scissors, 7.5″ bone cutting forceps, 10″ soft coral clamps, and coral frag plugs of three different colors. All the tools are precisely crafted out of German stainless steel, designed to be rust resistant. They cover a variety of coral fragging requirements and allow users to tackle multiple types of corals. The plugs are kiln-fired and are designed to fit nicely in our eggcrate frag racks. And as we already know, the EcoTech Coral Glue is very easy to work with. It cures quickly, it holds corals nicely in place, and it is created exclusively for our aquariums.
As I mentioned, the box holding all of the coral fragging tools is constructed of bamboo, and it is not only good for storing your new propagation tools, but can also be used as a cutting board. Each of the tools fits nicely into smoothly cut grooves that are shaped for specific tools. This helps keep the look of the kit in order, which fits into the scheme nicely given the already sleek look of the bamboo box.
I am very impressed with the design of this kit, and I am more than certain any true reefer would love it. The tools have a very nice feel in my hands. The frag plugs are nicely designed with the addition of the grooves cut into the bottom to allow them to fit snug on our frag racks. We have not had a chance to play with our new toys too much, but as soon as we do we will review them more than from just an aesthetic standpoint.
