[smoq]

I bought a november issue of UK's practical fishkeeping magazine from barnes&noble yesterday and I felt like I should comment on that.
And well, with all the respect to Tropical Fish Hobbyist and a little bit less for Fish international and FAMA, PF is sooo much better. They have monthly reviews of stores, equipment, new fish with general info and estimated price you should pay for them. Also, there's a tank of the month section, expeditions section and much more. What I especially liked is how nicely articles are written and man, there are so many great pictures in that single issue.
Then I looked at the advertisements and I found that Europeans have so much more options when it comes to equipment. Rimless tanks from many manufacturers, euro-braced tanks, solid oak stands and so on... I found many plant species not known here that were on sale in one of advertised online retailer.
I am puzzled why we don't have access to all that stuff...
Another shock- when you subscribe to this magazine you'll get free fluval e-series heater or fluval u-series filter (probably not available in USA). Subscription to US is expensive though (over a $100) and you won't get the gift (if they would give the heater I would definetely subscribe, it's $50 here)
What do you guys think about this situation? With so many hobbyists in the US, we get a lot less than people in Asia and Europe. Why's that?

 

[CL]

Aquariums just aren't as popular over here?

 

[oldpunk78]

not as much aqua culture in the US.

 

[lauraleellbp]

I splurged on a year's subscription several months ago and am still waiting on my first issue... I think the email I got said I can expect the October 2008 issue to arrive in February!! :icon_eek:

Also, in regards to equipment reviews, the advertising culture is different in Europe than it is here in the US. If a magazine here were to publish a reveiw that even vaguely appeared critical of a brand's product, you can be sure that that vendor would pull their ads. If you want equipment reviews from TFH, you can visit the TFH forum instead.

 

[NJAquaBarren]

I agree. It is a great magazine. I spent a summer in England once. It was great. One thing that you don't realize until you are there is that things are much more intimate due to the relatively small size of the country. Anywhere you want to go is a day's drive at worst...if you drive slow and take a lot of breaks.

For that reason, you can open any magazine on any topic and find something on the Event Calendar within driving distance every weekend. I love PFK's feature reviewing LFSes. It make sense there. Would be hard to make that work here.

Anyway, I do love the magazine. Wish our magazines were a little more like it. I lile ours too, but I enjoy PFK, with its product reviews, store reviews, aquarist profiles, etc... more.

 

[plantbrain]

Get the on line version and their web site etc.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[SearunSimpson]

I have been a follower of their magazine for quite sometime, and am a regular visitor to their ever-changing website. It is, in my opinion, one of the best magazines out there in regards to aqua-culture.
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk for those of you struggling to find it.

 

[icegreen]

If you look inside the front cover a US subscription is only $60 a year from Motorsport Publications LLC. And yes it is a fantastic magazine. I even like the new layout.

 

[smoq]

If you look inside the front cover a US subscription is only $60 a year from Motorsport Publications LLC. And yes it is a fantastic magazine. I even like the new layout.

Did you ever order with them? The price is good...
Anyway, another great article i found in that issue is about wild discus. Three wild discus species are presented with natural habitat, how to tell them apart and where they could be found. I learned a lot of new info regarding this fish reading to it.
Tom, do you know how to get their online subscription? I can't find it on their website.

 

[mumushummus]

fish and chips rules! oooooups i'm not British.
Yeah! nice covers, lots of ads, just a few true and reliable advices a few nice colored photos, so why pay for that a fortune?

 

[lauraleellbp]

If you look inside the front cover a US subscription is only $60 a year from Motorsport Publications LLC. And yes it is a fantastic magazine. I even like the new layout.

Augh!

I'll keep that in mind come time to renew, though...

 

[icegreen]

Did you ever order with them? The price is good...
No I have not but really should. From what I have spent buying individual copies at Barnes & Noble I probably could have bought another aquarium.

 

[blackandyellow]

I loved TFH but it is soooo scarce where I live. Ten years ago the magazine was thick, full with articles and info about expeditions, very technical info, etc. I just got an online subscription and curiously bought a physical copy in an airport, and to be honest I was dissapointed at how bad it is now. The Q&A sections now make the bulk of it (boring), and it has become more basic. The older magazine was astounding and a great source for advanced hobbyists. It had twice the content of the current ones back then...

 

[smoq]

I couldn't resist and I ordered subscription from motorsport publications and to my surprise, I've got an e-mail two days later that a december issue is being mailed to me. I've got it after 5 days, which is quite impressive assuming that I have to wait over a month when I subscribe to an US based magazine. I think what they do is they get the magazine from UK in large quantity and then resend to US subscribers.

 

[AquaTX01]

I bought a november issue of UK's practical fishkeeping magazine from barnes&noble yesterday and I felt like I should comment on that.....

What do you guys think about this situation? With so many hobbyists in the US, we get a lot less than people in Asia and Europe. Why's that?

think has to do w/ size, & maturity as a nation. US is sooo much bigger then Europe/UK. we're more spread out here, then they are. and Asia, lot's of da item (and knockoffs) and manufactured there. Also, they might have been in this hobby/profession longer then we have.... correct me if I'm wrong pep.

 

[Robert H]

Europe has more plants because they do not have the tough import restrictions that the USA has, and each country basically shares one economy. The rest of what you said is open to interpretation! :tongue:. Personaly, I think TFH has the best graphic artists of any magazine. Their photographs are incredible, and they have more photos per article than any other magazine. Their format is larger with thick glossy paper,and they have less advertising clutter than either of the other two American mags.

TFH also has the leading experts in their field. Jack Wattley on Discus, Wayne Leibel on Cichlids.. and too much Q and A? There are only three Q and A columns, freshwater, saltwater, and Ask Jack, all the other columns are not Q and A and are written like feature articles with several photos. Its a magazine, not a technical journal. I think the depth of the material is pretty good!

But then I am not exactly impartial I guess! :icon_wink

 

[lauraleellbp]

I couldn't resist and I ordered subscription from motorsport publications and to my surprise, I've got an e-mail two days later that a december issue is being mailed to me. I've got it after 5 days, which is quite impressive assuming that I have to wait over a month when I subscribe to an US based magazine. I think what they do is they get the magazine from UK in large quantity and then resend to US subscribers.

I'm gonna cry. I subscribed through their main site months ago and got an email to expect the October issue in February. :icon_eek:

 

[plantbrain]

Sorry, thought they had an on line version of the magazine.
They do have articles you can read on their server etc.

Most of the Plant folks are at www.UKAPS.org

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Rua]

I subscribed through their main site months ago and got an email to expect the October issue in February.

Just contact them again & cancel your subscription, then resubscribe through Motorsport Publications LLC ... let PFK know why etc, I doubt you'll have any problems.

I've had both PFK & TFH, maybe TFH has improved the quality of their magazine since but I was disappointed enough not to renew (they also had difficulties getting the 'zine into my mailbox in a timely fashion ... or at all)

 

[shoteh]

I know this is old but I was wondering if any of you guys have had or still have subscription to PFK. I have been getting their online monthly updates however am interested in getting a nice magazine I could pass on to my brother to up his interests in aquarium life :icon_wink.

Questions: Do they still ship to the US? Is the shipping consistent or do they lag a few months behind? What is an average yearly cost for this mag? Should I support a comparable US magazine instead? Thanks in advance