From The Editors

Dearest Friends,

Conscientious Aquarist online magazine is the newest addition to WetWebMedia family.  Our mission is to share the www.wetwebmedia philosophy and ethic with aquarists through this new avenue.

We hope to provide thought provoking, stimulating and enlightening information to hobbyists of all levels, and to do so in a friendly and non-intimidating manner.  Consistent with the WetWebMedia philosophy, we will present articles that promote the husbandry of aquatic animals in a responsible and ethical manner.

Conscientious Aquarist will feature a variety of articles that encompass the full spectrum of what the aquatic hobby and science have to offer. Husbandry of freshwater fishes, plants, marine fish and invertebrates, ponds, reptiles/amphibians,  equipment, and even travel will all be featured within the "pages" of this magazine.

This inaugural issue includes an article on Killifishes, an often overlooked family of freshwater fishes.  Killies are not only beautiful, but can easily be kept and bred by novice aquarists, while presenting a fascinating breeding opportunity for the more advanced hobbyist.  We can hardly think of a better example of what we are trying to accomplish!  Killies are rarely collected from the wild or seen in a local pet shop, but are widely available thanks to dedicated and conscientious hobbyists who have bred them in captivity for decades.

We are not so naive as to believe that all of the animals that we keep will go the way of the killifishes.  Some losses will always occur, and some animals will always have to be collected from the wild.  However, it is our hope that by cultivating a conscientious culture among aquarists, that the hobby can continue to grow and enrich the lives of those who love it so much.  More importantly, it is greatest hope that the information shared benefits the animals that we treasure and the ecosystems of which we should all be good stewards.

We invite you to be part of our mission.  Aquarists of all levels can contribute to the body of knowledge that helps perpetuate and advance this wonderful hobby.  If you come along as a reader, you are participating!  If you are moved to take a more active role, you are welcome to share your knowledge and experience by putting pen to paper.  We warmly welcome your comments, suggestions and contributions of content.

With warmest regards to our friends, aquatic and otherwise!

Adam Cesnales and Scott Fellman  Co-Editors