The AquariumReference.org web site is provided as a free, not-for-profit service. This site is a work-in-progress and is maintained by Cliff Dugan and Shawn Marie Furlong. Developing and maintaining a web site of this magnitude is a huge undertaking and requires substantial time and money. We choose to keep this site non-profit for the benefit of the aquarium hobby as a whole.

The purpose of this web site is to provide necessary information on the identification, behavior and care of the animals we keep in our aquariums. And to provide information on which animals are best kept in captivity and those not suited for aquarium keeping. Our main interest is marine aquaria, but in the future, we may cover freshwater more thoroughly.

Our primary focus is on education and conservation. To successfully keep animals in our aquariums it is our responsibility to recreate the animal's natural environment as closely as possible, so the animals not only survive, but also thrive. In order to help protect our natural environments we strongly believe in keeping captive raised animals whenever possible. More and more captive raised marine fish and invertebrates are becoming available every day.

Although our web site is directed towards aquarium hobbyists, the information that it provides is useful for scuba divers, educators, researchers, and anyone else who has an interest in marine animals.

Our web site contains the following sections:

Species Library
The Species Library contains photographs and information on the behavior and care of marine fish and invertebrates. The library has approximately 5000 species listed and is continuously growing. We would like to see it become one of the most complete references of its type. While the library is not meant to be a true scientific reference we have tried to be as accurate as possible.

Taxonomic Tree
The Taxonomic Tree contains a complete listing of the kingdom Animalia, down to the family level. However, the Taxonomic Tree is no where near complete and may contain inaccuracies. We have concentrated our efforts on the branches of the tree where species are included in the Species Library and the tree will continuously be updated and revised as new species are added to the library.

For more information on our Taxonomic Tree see our Taxonomic Tree Information Page.

Articles
The Articles Section contains articles and links to articles related to: aquarium keeping, animal identification, husbandry and behavior. There are articles on everything from general aquarium care to fish breeding and coral propagation.

Glossary
Our Glossary contains words and terms of value to the hobbyist.

This web site is made possible by individual contributions and we are always looking for new photographs and articles. For more information on submitting photographs, articles or to make comments and suggestions for the library please visit our Making Contributions page.

This web site is dedicated to the most beautiful person I have ever known: Shawn Marie Furlong