Editorial: Our Inaugural Issue
As I sat down to write this first editorial for the Advanced Aquarist’s Online Magazine my mind turned to the first editorial I wrote for the launching of Aquarium Frontiers. Not surprisingly, the goal is still the same. I wrote in the Fall of 1993 -- Welcome to a new concept in journals for aquarium enthusiasts and naturalists: AQUARIUM FRONTIERS. It is the goal of this quarterly to provide both the professional and serious aquarist with a major source for the newest information about the establishment of successful public and private aquaria. AQUARIUM FRONTIERS' editorial reach will embrace visiting (both in the wild and in captivity), collecting, shipping, maintaining, and ultimately propagating the beautiful animals and plants displayed in private and public aquariums. We plan to concern ourselves with all of our planet's aquatic biotopes: from the pristine, sea water habitat of stony corals to the brown watery home of the Discus fish.
Aquarium Frontiers then and the Advanced Aquarist’s Online Magazine now will always emphasize protection and understanding of the natural environment. Serious aquarists working with scientists can help to save the fauna and flora of our planet from commercial exploitation. Perhaps the struggle has always been between short term commercial goals and long term quality of life issues. I speak not only of quality of life issues for us, but also for the exotic creatures we collect or breed for captivity in our aquaria. This may very well be the most important struggle of our time.
As was true of Aquarium Frontiers, it is a central goal of this new publication to promote exchange between the scientific community and amateur aquarists, for the benefit of both disciplines and the environment. To achieve our combined goals of greater understanding of the natural world and honing our husbandry skills we will rely heavily on science and scientists. Science is the systematic knowledge of the natural world gained through observation and experimentation, and it is the disinterested pursuit of the truth about the natural world. The key word here is "disinterested." It doesn’t mean that scientists are disinterested, rather that science as a discipline seeks to eliminate the experimenter from the experiment. In other words, the scientist’s personal goals, hopes, wishes, etc are not relevant to what experimentation ultimately reveals. As aquarists, we need to see the experimental data that demonstrates what an Acropora sp requires to flourish. It is science that will ultimately distinguish between a necessary element and snake oil.
The author's 19 year old Amphiprion frenatus. Photo: Terry Siegel
Toward this goal the Advanced Aquarist’s Online Magazine has the good fortune of having Craig Bingman Ph.D. as our Science Editor. Not only will he read all our columns for accuracy, he will also establish an advisory group to peer review all Features. It is our pledge to our readers that we will provide accurate and honest information, and that is the bottom line.
Contributors : Terry Siegel
Pomacanthus Publications, LLC
Last modified 2005-12-31 14:06
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Editorial: February 2007
