Hi
Following on from Georges' last post, I would have to say I agree with him. ADA goods are at one end of the scale of what is available, and that includes the wood, which has been more or less widely acclaimed as an aquascaping material (the look, the fact that it doesn't leach tannins, and doubtless a little bit of romance given it's orgins). I for one intend to use it in my ADA AGA, which I'll be setting up later in the summer. With ADA you are also buying into the aesthetic, as Neil and George have mentioned before, and this is part of what is important about ADA and the Nature Aquarium trend. Recent developments, largely attributable to followers of the ADA philosophy and Amano and co. have started to bring the aquarium into the realms of modern interiors in a way that no other manufacturers have. Regarding the costs of ADA goods, I think it is fair to say that retailers in Europe probably have a limited amount of control over pricing (get on the internet-find some of the German and Italian retailers and compare them to prices from AE-they are very similar). Yes the price structure for the European market differs from the US or Far Eastern ones, and that probably reflects not only a profit issue on ADA Europe's side but also a supply and demand issue, plus the simple logisitics of shipping bulky/heavy/fragile items from the other side of the planet. See how a Lily pipe comes packed, compare to an Eheim or any other of the leading brands then you realise, and you can start to understand why these things cost what they do. George says the large producers should start to follow suit. Well some niche companies already have. I've read plenty of threads where people have been very happy with Fishvet diffusers that Richard also stocks at AE, and they do come at a fraction of the price; he caters for the whole market, that is one of the reasons he is the best place to get your planted tank goodies in the UK (IMO). So I would say that ADA will pretty much always have the high end to themselves in Europe-you can't really sustain too many companies like that in what is already a fairly niche area. I would also say that, like Craynerd, if you're about to put your coins down for some ADA goodies, you won't be disappointed-just don't drop them on the floor! But at the end of the day, don't forget...it's all about the plants.
Nick
/www.aquatic-gardeners.org/driftwood.html
