diff --git a/src/hdf5_array.hpp b/src/hdf5_array.hpp
index 98ea28f..c6ce5c9 100644
--- a/src/hdf5_array.hpp
+++ b/src/hdf5_array.hpp
@@ -181,38 +181,34 @@ namespace CosmoTool {
     }
   };
 
-  template<typename T, std::size_t DIMENSIONS, typename hdf5_data_type>
+  template<typename ArrayType, typename hdf5_data_type>
   void hdf5_read_array(H5::CommonFG& fg, const std::string& data_set_name, 
-                       boost::multi_array<T, DIMENSIONS>& data, 
+                       ArrayType& data, 
                        const hdf5_data_type& datatype)
   {
       H5::DataSet dataset = fg.openDataSet(data_set_name);
       H5::DataSpace dataspace = dataset.getSpace();
-      std::vector<hsize_t> dimensions(DIMENSIONS);
+      std::vector<hsize_t> dimensions(data.num_dimensions());
       
-      if (dataspace.getSimpleExtentNdims() != DIMENSIONS)
+      if (dataspace.getSimpleExtentNdims() != data.num_dimensions())
         {
           throw InvalidDimensions();
         }
             
       dataspace.getSimpleExtentDims(dimensions.data());
-      data.resize(hdf5_extent_gen<DIMENSIONS>::build(dimensions.data()));
+      data.resize(hdf5_extent_gen<ArrayType::dimensionality>::build(dimensions.data()));
       dataset.read(data.data(), datatype);
   }
 
-  template<typename T, std::size_t DIMENSIONS>
-  void hdf5_read_array(H5::CommonFG& fg, const std::string& data_set_name, boost::multi_array<T, DIMENSIONS>& data )
+  template<typename ArrayType>
+  void hdf5_read_array(H5::CommonFG& fg, const std::string& data_set_name, ArrayType& data )
   {
+      typedef typename ArrayType::element T;
+      
       get_hdf5_data_type<T> hdf_data_type;
       hdf5_read_array(fg, data_set_name, data, hdf_data_type.type());
   }
 
-  template<typename T, std::size_t DIMENSIONS>
-  void hdf5_read_array(H5::CommonFG& fg, const std::string& data_set_name, boost::multi_array<std::complex<T>, DIMENSIONS>& data )
-  {
-      hdf5_read_array(fg, data_set_name, data, hdf5_ComplexType<T>::ctype()->type);
-  }
-
 
 #define CTOOL_HDF5_NAME(STRUCT) BOOST_PP_CAT(hdf5_,STRUCT)
 #define CTOOL_HDF5_INSERT_ELEMENT(r, STRUCT, element) \