[AGA-mcm] Re: 3rd Quarter Issue

["Karen Randall" <krandall@rdrcpa.biz>]

Dear Bill,

 

Thank you for your input.  I am sure there were many people for whom the beginner article was not appropriate, but the fact is that we DO always have beginning aquatic gardeners joining the AGA, and we have had a number of requests for an article of this type.  There are many people with many diverse interests and needs in the hobby! 

 

I'm glad that you enjoyed the other content in the last issue of TAG, and can assure you that the beginner article was not a "filler" piece used because we did not have enough other material.  The fact that it was given so many pages was because it is very important that the information that we provide for beginning aquatic gardeners be thorough and accurate.  Please rest assured that we have no intention of "dumbing down" the magazine.  We always work to provide high-quality cutting-edge articles to our members while at the same time providing a balance of articles to meet the needs of all our members. 

 

While it is unlikely that we could devote the space to a "laboratory section" in each issue (remember, we do have to consider the interests of ALL our members, and this would not appeal to all, any more than the beginner article appealed to you) we certainly have run articles in the past on people's experiments with planted tanks, and will certainly consider including such articles in the future if they are submitted to the magazine.  Unfortunately, we can't run what people don't write.  If you are doing experiments of this sort and would like to submit something, I'd love to have it! :-)

 

It would be wonderful if, over time, our members would grow to the point that we could have a bigger TAG; one that had room for articles to satisfy EVERY member in EVERY issue. (I hope you have noticed that we are already 4 pages larger than we were a year ago!)  In the interim, thank you very much again for your comments.  It is only by hearing from our members that we can fine-tune the magazine and make it as useful as possible to as many members as possible. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Karen Randall

Editor

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Bill

To: editor@aquatic-gardeners.org

Sent: Friday, October 28, 2005 12:47 PM

Subject: 3rd Quarter Issue

Dear Ms. Randall:

 

I recently read the subject issue and found it to be very interesting, as usual.

 

Of course, I do have one criticism.  The longest article was "Beginning Planted Aquaria."  I thought it was well written and gave good advice to those who were setting up their first or second planted tank.

 

Unfortunately, I would be surprised if any of your members were in that category, so I don't think the article was very useful.  It was probably the first article that I've read in TAG from which I didn't learn something (and there is much for me to learn).

 

It must be difficult to find subjects and authors good enough to maintain the high quality of TAG.  If I might offer a suggestion, perhaps a "laboratory section" would be interesting and useful.  It could include such things as tests of Substrate A versus Substrate B, for example, or of the value of water column dosing compared to other forms of fertilizing.  I can see a number of potential problem areas but these could be worked out, and I think that the AGA has many member of a scientific bent who would be happy to contribute.

 

Thanks for putting out such a fine publication!

 

Bill

_______________________________________________
AGA-mcm mailing list
AGA-mcm@thekrib.com
http://lists.thekrib.com/mailman/listinfo/aga-mcm