If You Fancy a Fishy Read... (Practical Fishkeeping - Magazine)

Member Name: bigdgaff

Product:	Practical Fishkeeping - Magazine
Date:	27/07/01 (206 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of info, Well designed and layed out

Disadvantages: Can be a little expensive

...Practical Fishkeeping is a monthly magazine that covers all aspects of keeping fish.

PFK covers everything from tropical and marine fish to cold-water pond fish and plants. This magazine has all the information you will ever need whether you are a beginner or an expert. With a fun, colourful layout it is easy on the eye and the information is concise and clear. All the scientific terms are also explained in simple English.

I will run through what you can expect to find in an average issue (I have the April 2001 edition next to me for reference and will use it for any examples)


EDITORIAL

On the first page after the contents, the editor brings us up to date on the latest news from the team and what to look out for in the issue. Pretty self-explanatory really.


SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are several special features each month that cover a specific subject in detail. For example, In the April 2001 Edition, there is an interesting feature, in which a qualified doctor (I would have expected a vet…) examines the memory span of fishes, the goldfish in particular. He comes to the conclusion that putting goldfish in a bowl is cruel because they do actually remember for more than five seconds and will become bored. It also looks at how fish find their way back to their favourite hiding places. The special features are usually aimed towards the more experienced fish-keeper who is looking to expand his/her knowledge base.


GENERAL FEATURES

You have features in this section, which are more basic and will suit beginners. For instance, these features discuss how to set up a tank or how to make an efficient filter system. The features For marines are still pretty basic, but take considerably more knowledge than the tropical features demand


FISH REVIEWS

There are regular slots for in depth descriptions of fish. You can find out all about the natural habitat, how they bre
ed and how best to look after them. The writers will also discuss any diseases that the subject fish is especially susceptible to. To refer to the magazine, there are reviews for Mollies and one of the rarer species of African tetras in the tropical section. The marine section looks at the Majestic Angel and the cleaner shrimp.


ASK THE EXPERTS

This section used to be split into categories at the end of each section, e.g. Tropical and marine. To make it easier to find, it has been moved to the centre of the magazine and although still split into their individual categories, you can go straight to the questions and answers without a search. It is always the part I skip to first.

My favourite part is the Tropical Answers section. This is where the reader can send their problems and questions. I find this a very useful section as you can pick up tips and tricks that you never thought of before. The Answers section is towards the centre of the magazine in a section called “Ask the Experts”. The other categories to read about in this section are marine, cold-water and ponds. There is a prize up for grabs every month in each of the sections for the question of the month.


HEALTH

This is a regular slot where the specialist health writer takes an in depth look at one type of disease or bacterial infection each month. From the April magazine, the doctor is looking at spinal deformity. You can learn an awful lot about health problems and their treatments in this section.


LATERAL LINES

This section is where readers send letters and opinions relating to the hobby. You regularly find success stories as well as opinions on the latest kit. Each month, One letter is picked for the star letter of the month and wins a prize. This is generally a filter.


EQUIPMENT

This section reviews the latest equipment and any useful gizmos that are around. You get a regular buyers guide wh
ere Practical Fishkeeping pick a piece of equipment and compare the offerings from several suppliers on several different points. Unfortunately, this section takes turns on what genre of fishkeeping is being tested. In April, it was a guide to pond pumps. You can generally expect tropical equipment every three or four months but when you get it, the information is very comprehensive. There is also a comparison of the various kinds of substrate gravel and sand to help you decide what will be best for your set-up.


READERS TANKS

Not really an amazing section, but if you send a photo of your tank and they pick it for publication, you can win a prize.


NEWS

In this section you can find out what is coming up and what has just happened. You can read up on fish shows and things like that, or you can look up clubs and companies that are planning events. If you see something fairly local, it could be well worth visiting as it is at meetings and events that you talk to real fishkeepers like you and you can learn a lot as well.


CONCLUSION

I have read other magazines that relate to the hobby. The closest competitor is a magazine called “Aquarist and pondkeeper”. Unfortunately, I don’t think it gets close to PFK. They are both informative, but PFK has the edge in the trendy stakes. It just has a modern and colourful layout and looks altogether more inviting. A&P just seems like the kind of dull magazine that you would find in the waiting room at the dentist. I find it boring.

At around £3.00 an issue, it is by no means cheap but it compares with other magazines on the shelf at the newsagents. If you subscribe, you can get it delivered to your door for £2.33 per issue but you pay the whole subscription in advance.

I would heartily recommend this magazine to both beginners and experienced fishkeepers because you can ALWAYS learn something new. You can also find new ways to make y
our fishes live longer and be happier as well as tricks to make the experience more satisfying for you.

Hopefully you have found this review helpful, as I was useless at book reviews at school. If you have any questions about the magazine, you can either leave it as a comment or use the e-mail in my profile.

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