Sub

Freshwater and Marine Aquarium - FAMA
       
       NOTE: Freshwater and Marine Aquarium Magazine ceased publication in June 2010. Several of its columnists and content that it would have published are now available in its sister magazine Aquarium Fish International.
         FAMA was a much loved publication. For many years they provided cutting edge content month after month. They were largely responsible for the rapid dispersal of info about reef keeping techniques at a time when the technology was rapidly evolving and we did not have the easy communication of today's internet. FAMA led the international effort to stop the use of cyanide in reef fish collecting. Under the leadership of creator and publisher Don Dewey FAMA was a real assett to us all.
         FAMA was primarily a specialists magazine and with the rise of the internet many specilists found more info available more rapidly and FAMA began to lose its niche. In 2005 the magazine was purchased by Bow Tie Press, publishers of a number of pet magazines including Aquarium Fish International (AFI). In 2010 Bow Tie ceased publication of FAMA and combined it into an expanded AFI
         The following is the review of FAMA that was posted in June 2010 when the last issue of FAMA was released.

Freshwater and Marine Aquarium

icon     Freshwater and Marine Aquarium or FAMA has been around for about 30 years. For most of its existence it was guided by Don Dewey who was legendary for his love of his hobby and his passion for his magazine.  Through the 1980's and 1990's FAMA was my favorite magazine because most of its content was aimed at serious/expert fish keepers and because of the great ads that ran in the magazine. Specifically, FAMA ran the ads of mail order companies that offered catalog sales. Years ago it was hard to find this information and TFH refused to run ads from mail order sources. These mail order companies offered great assortments of hard to find items at very reasonable prices.  Today we have the Internet and most people have quick access to a host of sources for product information and pricing. However, 20 years ago FAMA was the place I turned.
 UPDATE
  FAMA got a real freshening when they became part of Bow Tie Magazines in 2005. They managed to maintain their unigue blend of novice to expert articles written by some of the best while providing a fresh look with more and better photos. At only about $15.00 for a 12 issue subscription, FAMA is a geart value for anyone interested in fishkeeping.
      Today FAMA still has the most ads, in fact, in a typical issue 60 plus pages of ads will be found in a 125 - 130 page magazine. Don't despair about this though as a number of companies only advertise in FAMA and you can learn a lot about the hobby and specialized products from some of these ads.  
      The content of FAMA is still geared toward the advanced hobbyist.  I suspect that every serious Betta keeper subscribes to this magazine just for the amazing monthly columns written by Dr. Gene Lucas.  Dr. Lucas has a great way of writing about technical scientific topics in a way that makes sense to the average serious aquarist. There are other specialized monthly columns combined with quality feature stories.  FAMA does not put much emphasis on photos and they have far fewer in the average article than do the other magazines.
     FAMA is the same standard magazine size as AFI and uses the same quality of paper. Another feature that FAMA shares with AFI is its affordability. You can get a subscription for about $15.00.  Although I don't think that FAMA is the best "only" magazine for most people, I do think that it is a great supplement for someone wanting something more or different from what they are already reading.  

     FAMA was a great magazine that contributed a lot to our hobby. I know that for many years it was my favorite. It is great to see that efforts are being made to keep its spirit alive in the expanded Aquarium Fish International.
Please vist our friends at   Dwarfcichlid.com

Aquarium magazine reviews at tropicalfishmagazines.com
 Your source for honest reviews about tropical fish magazines