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Good Effort PFK

andyh

Member
Joined
1 Jan 2009
Messages
1,920
Location
Derby
Just a quick comment to say that i think PFK is getting a little more suited to us planted tank enthusiasts!

Just read my latest PFK and i have to say very happy, it seems to be including lots more around the planted tank world. Is it only me noticing this? Personally i think its great news!

For example this months edition includes:

Large article on Freshwater algae eating Gobies
Some bloke called George Farmer and his Lake Inle biotope
number of plant related questions answers,
Setting up a Paludarium
Article on keeping nerite snails
huge test on LED lighting (slighlty bias towards the marine keeper, but still useful)

Maybe the planted tank world is finally catching attention, only the other day did i hear the chaps at one of PFKs awarding winning fish specialists saying they need to get into the planted tank game! (i may of helped a little ;) )

Is this the beginning....... :lol: :lol: :lol: :D
 
It's a shame there's less planted tank coverage than there used to be, but I still enjoy George's biotopes, the 'How to Grow' feature, and the 'Your Tanks' is usually a nice planted tank with a good interview.

There's some newer planted tank coverage on the PFK site too, including Tony Swinney's tank, James Starr-Marshall's nano and an interview with George.

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/blog.php
 
Maybe it's just me but I was quite dissapointed with the latest PFK. The only article that remotely interested me was Georges biotope. The last few haven't been as good IMO.
 
andyh said:
Some bloke called George Farmer

??? who's he :lol:

personally i haven't been too impressed with the latest PFK mags. they seem to be focusing a lot more on marine. i think that they need to have more freshwater fish/plant content.

cheers :thumbup:
 
agreed on the marine thing. The biotopes thing is wearing thin now I'm starting to feel. This latest lake inle one was distinctly average.
 
Garuf said:
This latest lake inle one was distinctly average.
Christ Garuf, I know that your the hardest person in the world to please but have some tact! George has given you a lot of help, guidance and encouragement over the years, thats more than most would bother to give you. I don't feel he, or anyone else for that matter needs such a personal and public bashing. There are just some things you should keep to yourself for the sake of others Garuf.
 
Just to expand on my previous post, its just there isn't much of interesting for me in there anymore.
The planted series last year were very good, but most of the stuff in there is pretty much irrelevant to me and I always end up just flicking through the pages and reading very few articles.
 
Hey Garuf i am afraid i agree with Dan, a little harsh!

I suppose were i differ is that i am from a fishkeeping background so the magazine doesnt need to be a planted tank journal for me, as being honest nothing would come close to the knowledge right here on UKAPS. I am not the voice of PFK or anything but i think it sometimes it struggles due to the diverse number of areas it tries to cover, but i also think that this is appealing to :geek:

each to their own! :lol: :lol:
 
Thanks for the feedback regarding my work, all.

I realise there is relatively little in the way of planted tank coverage these days. These are issues you should take up with the editorial staff. Or you could post something in the "Magazine Discussion" section of the PFK forum. PFK are open to ideas. Heck, there's some members on here who are more than capable of contributing stuff themselves; including photography.

When I wasn't happy with the planted tank content about six years ago I was pro-active and actually wrote in to the magazine on several occasions. Eventually I became a contributor and helped to promote the planted tank and aquascaping hobby a fair bit in the UK.

If you have the time and inclination I recommend trying to do the same yourselves. It's rewarding on many levels. You get paid and it's nice to see your work in print, as well as promoting your passion.

Regarding marine content etc. you have to consider that PFK is aimed at the fishkeeping public as a whole. Marine readers will say there's not enough marine coverage, planted tank readers will says there's not enough planted coverage. It's impossible to please everyone all of the time, so PFK have to strike a balance. Sometimes this balance will be in favour of something you will like; sometimes not.
 
As a very new recruit to the hobby, PFK is an obvious place to start for someone like me who needs to read everything to death :geek: . It seems to me to be better than the competition (Tropical Fish) and as some others have recognised, it has to appeal to all strands of interests. Again, as a newbie, I really like the Q & A format, with short articles covering many different issues. I have thoroughly enjoyed the biotopes - they're not all to my taste, but that's not the point. Anyone who can make an interesting set-up from an English lake has to be worth reading...! The readers' tanks are awesome, and much as I want to progress in the planted tank area, I love looking at marine tanks. They are so colourful, huge, and I can reassure myself that I have so much more money than their owners :) . At the moment, anyway...
 
Ok so how about Practical Planted Tanks? :D

I have subscribed to PFK on and off since the late 80s and yes sometimes it gets very tired, but they are catering for a broad market within the fish keeping hobby. IMO it has its ups and downs. Planted tanks have come a long way in the UK but it is still a niche and thanks to some people, thier passion and thier businesses it is reaching still further.
 
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