Reproducibility

·       Ephippia of high quality produced in strictly controlled conditions preclude variability associated with recruitment/maintenance of live stocks in conventional bioassays. 
·       Highly uniform quality of the test medium is achieved by simple dilution  of  concentrated solutions of  selected salts with de-ionized water.  
·       Standardized microplate test containers constructed of biologically inert materials ensure uniform exposure conditions. 
·       A Quality Control Test with a reference chemical is described in detail, for accuracy and reproducibility check.

Cost-Effectiveness
·       Ephippia can be hatched on demand, eliminating the need and the costs of continuous culturing and maintenance of test organisms.
·       Minimal equipment needed for test performance: light table or dissecting microscope - small incubator - conventional laboratory glassware.  
·       Shelf-life of ephippia guaranteed for several months when stored properly, reducing test scheduling constraints.

Contents
·       Tubes with ephippia, concentrated hatching and toxicant dilution medium, hatching and test containers and micropipettes for the transfer of the organisms. 
·       Detailed Standard Operational Procedure brochure, abbreviated Bench Protocol, data scoring sheets and graphical L (E) C50 calculation  sheets. 
·       Specification sheet with batch number of the ephippia and the media.

User-Friendliness
·       Simple handlings and scorings.
·       Total performance time of the assay approximately 1 hour.
·       A floppy disc for easy Toxkit data treatment can be obtained on demand.

Sensitivity
·       Comparable to the sensitivity of Daphnids from laboratory cultures.