The New Year brings fresh changes to the team at PFK, with a reshuffled editorial team and the return of an older face, writes Nathan Hill
Observant readers will remember that towards the tail end of last year we put out an advert for a new editor (as Angela Kenny was moving to another title within the Bauer collective). Now it’s time to reveal that all changes have been implemented, the chairs have been rearranged and filled, and we have a new, old (or old, new) team taking up the standard once more.
Officially, our new Editor is now Karen Youngs, who is a veteran of the publication and a former PFK editor of seven years (until 2009). She’s been keeping fish for over 30 years, and currently runs a 6 x 2 x 2’ tropical set up, as well as a marine nano, and no less than four ponds. A self-confessed catfish fan, Karen has nonetheless dabbled in a little of everything over her extensive hobby, and shows no sign of slowing. Karen takes over with effect from the April issue.
The other change involves the return of myself, Nathan Hill, as Features Editor (pictured below at Aqua 2013). My own history involves a long line of aquarist work, aquatic teaching, aquatic retail and management, as well as writing both in a salaried and freelance capacity. My own fishy fetishes are prone to changing, though one constant for the last several years has been my adoration of biotopes in their myriad forms. Expect some novel approaches to nature set ups this year...
So what does this mean for the publication? Well, for one, we are both insistent on putting the 'Practical' at the front of Practical Fishkeeping, and are looking to fill the magazine with projects and tips that real world aquarists can take away and recreate. Whilst we still want to bring you cutting edge and inspirational aquaria, we also want to ensure that everything you read is replicable at home. We want the magazine to be the reason you draw up a shopping list and scour your retailers on your days off.
We don’t want to preach or lecture, and we certainly don’t want to look down on anyone, unless we’re helping them up. Frankly, we just want to let our excitement run wild for a bit, and we want to immerse ourselves in a billion different projects and show you how we did each and every one.
Most importantly of all, we want you to get involved. Ultimately, Practical Fishkeeping is an extension of the hobby, and one that we can all get stuck in to. More than ever we want your hints and tips, and your life hacks. We want to see the equipment you’ve made from scratch. We want to hear about the difficulties you faced when breeding fish, and how you overcame them. We want to know the trouble saving tips that you discovered to help you with your water changes. We want all of this and more, so that we can make a pool of fishkeeping knowledge for everyone.
We also want you to know that the phones are sat by us and the emails are open. If you’ve an experience to share, or if you think we’re missing something of profound importance, then let us know! There’s usually at least one of us on hand to take a call, and we try to sift through emails as they come in. Don’t be shy, we’re a pretty friendly bunch to speak to…
Karen Youngs (Editor) can be contacted on either 01733 468404 or [email protected].
Nathan Hill (Features Editor) can be contacted on either 01733 395082 or [email protected].
Any queries regarding subscriptions should be directed to Great Magazines on either 01858 438884 or [email protected].
We hope to hear from you soon!