Top 5 Free Reef Hobbyist Magazines

The saltwater aquarium hobby is a passionate hobby that is filled with a ton of information. Some of this information can seem conflicting, especially on forums. We tend to recommend checking out hobbyist clubs and magazines. The reason why is because hobbyist clubs allow you to personally connect with other peers in the hobby and get mentor-ships and group collaborate.  Magazines are a great resource because the articles are written by top notch writers and researchers in the hobby. Below we outlined a list of the Top 5 Reef Hobbyist Magazines that are free to anyone in the hobby:

Advanced Aquarist Magazine
This reef hobbyist magazine is the longest running online publication.  Founded in 2002, this magazine focuses on publishing exclusive, relevant content written by world renowned experts in the field.

Practical Fish Keeping
A UK Reef Hobbyist Magazine that has been around for over 50 years! The magazine publishes both freshwater and saltwater content.  While the magazine itself you would have to pay for, the content on the website should be plenty for most hobbyist.

ReefHobbyist Magazine
This reef hobbyist magazine is made available for free in many local fish stores. A digital subscription is available on-line by going to their website and signing up. There is some pretty advanced hobbyist articles in this magazine as well as interviews and product reviews

FishChannel.com
FishChannel.com has a great website filled with articles for both freshwater and saltwater tank setup, aquascaping, Fish Species profiles, and more. Their facebook page tends to post the most recent articles.

Tropical Fish Hobbyist 
Since 1952, TFH Magazine has been a staple of the aquarium hobby. They cover from beginner to advanced, freshwater and saltwater, and have a no-frills magazine available online. While the main printed magazine is not free, there is plenty of free content available on their website. The online content is a refreshing take on a magazine as it is pure content.  

Mark Valderrama

Mark is the founder of Aquarium Store Depot. He started in the aquarium hobby at the age of 11 and along the way worked at local fish stores. He has kept freshwater tanks, ponds, and reef tanks for over 25 years. His site was created to share his knowledge and unique teaching style on a larger scale. He has worked on making aquarium and pond keeping approachable. Mark has been featured in two books about aquarium keeping – both best sellers on Amazon. Each year, he continues to help his readers and clients with knowledge, professional builds, and troubleshooting.