Aquarist Atlas
Clubs & societies
The hobby happens in clubs: monthly meetings, bag auctions, breeder-award programs, and the people who have already kept the fish you’re researching. Traveling? A club meeting is one of the best evenings a visiting hobbyist can have — most clubs meet monthly and welcome guests, so check the schedule on the club’s site before a trip. Every website link below was verified live on 2026-08-30; clubs listed without a link were confirmed through their federation but have no site we could verify.
National & international societies
The big specialist organizations — each focused on one corner of the hobby, most with journals, conventions, and breeder-award programs.
- American Cichlid AssociationCichlids · USA / international
- American Killifish AssociationKillifish · USA / international
- American Livebearer AssociationLivebearers · USA / international
- International Betta CongressBettas · International
- International Fancy Guppy AssociationShow guppies · International
- North American Native Fishes AssociationNorth American native fishes · USA / Canada
- Aquatic Gardeners AssociationPlanted aquaria · International
- Catfish Study GroupCatfishes · UK / international
Conservation programs
Hobbyist-run species preservation — the same program whose priority list is flagged on species pages across this atlas.
Federations & councils
Umbrella bodies that link local clubs together and run the big regional conventions.
Local clubs — United States
Alabama
- Central Alabama Aquarium SocietyGeneral
California
- California Betta SocietyBettas
- COAST (California's Organization of Aquatic Show Tropicals)General
- Pacific Coast Cichlid AssociationCichlids · San Jose
- Sacramento Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Sacramento
- San Diego Tropical Fish SocietyGeneral · San Diego
- San Francisco Aquarium SocietyGeneral · San Francisco
- SCAPE Southern California Aquatic Plant EnthusiastsPlanted tanks
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
- Florida Marine Aquarium SocietyReef & marine · Miami
- Fort Myers Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Fort Myers
- Gold Coast Aquarium Society of South FloridaGeneral
- Suncoast Killifish SocietyKillifish
- Tampa Bay Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Tampa
- The Aquatic Club of Pasco CountyGeneral · Pasco County
Hawaii
- Honolulu Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Honolulu
Illinois
- Champaign Area Fish ExchangeGeneral · Champaign
- Chicago Livebearer AssociationLivebearers · Chicago
- Greater Chicago Cichlid AssociationCichlids · ChicagoMeets: Sundays, 6 pm (see events calendar)At: Hilton Chicago Northbrook, 2855 Milwaukee Ave, Northbrook IL
- GreenWater Aquarist SocietyGeneral · Chicago
- Tri-County Tropical Fish Society of PeoriaGeneral · Peoria
Kentucky
- Louisville Tropical Fish FanciersGeneral · Louisville
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
- Mississippi Aquarium SocietyGeneral
Missouri
Nebraska
- Nebraska Aquarium SocietyGeneral
Nevada
- Las Vegas Freshwater Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Las Vegas
New Hampshire
- New Hampshire Aquarium ClubGeneral
New Jersey
New Mexico
- New Mexico Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Albuquerque
New York
- Allegheny River Valley Aquarium SocietyGeneral
- Brooklyn Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Brooklyn
- Central New York Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Syracuse
- Greater City Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Queens
- Long Island Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Long Island
- Long Island Killifish AssociationKillifish
- Metropolitan Area Killifish AssociationKillifish
- Nassau County Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Nassau County
- Tropical Fish Club of Erie CountyGeneral · Buffalo
- Upstate New York Killifish AssociationKillifish
North Carolina
- Charlotte Area Aquarists SocietyGeneral · Charlotte
- Raleigh Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Raleigh
Ohio
- Columbus Area Fish EnthusiastsGeneral · Columbus
- Greater Akron Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Akron
- Greater Cincinnati Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Cincinnati
- Medina County Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Medina
- Northeast Ohio Fish ClubGeneral
- Ohio Cichlid AssociationCichlids · ClevelandMeets: First Friday monthly (except July), 8 pmAt: Middleburg Heights Community Center, 16000 E Bagley Rd
- Youngstown Area Tropical Fish SocietyGeneral · Youngstown
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
- Aquarium Club of Lancaster CountyGeneral · LancasterMeets: Third Saturday monthly (except summer)At: Garden Spot Fire Rescue, 339 E Main St, New Holland PA
- Bucks County Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Bucks County
- Cichlid Club of YorkCichlids · York
- Delaware County Aquarium SocietyGeneral
- Erie Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Erie
- Greater Pittsburgh Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Pittsburgh
Rhode Island
South Carolina
- South Carolina Aquaria AssociationGeneral
South Dakota
- Sioux Falls Area Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Sioux Falls
Tennessee
- Music City Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Nashville
Texas
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin
- Green Bay Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Green Bay
- Madison Area Aquatic HobbyistsGeneral · Madison
- Milwaukee Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Milwaukee
- Wisconsin Area Killifish OrganizationKillifish
Local clubs — Canada
British Columbia
- Greater Victoria Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Victoria
- Vancouver Aquatic Hobbyist SocietyGeneral · Burnaby
Manitoba
- Aquarium Society of WinnipegGeneral · Winnipeg
New Brunswick
- Saint John Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Saint John
Nova Scotia
- Marine Aquarium Society of Nova ScotiaReef & marine · Halifax
Ontario
- Barrie Region Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Barrie
- Durham Region Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Ajax
- Hamilton and District Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Hamilton
- Kitchener-Waterloo Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Waterloo
- London Aquaria SocietyGeneral · London
- Ottawa Valley Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Ottawa
- Peel Region Aquarium ClubGeneral · Brampton
- Sarnia Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Sarnia
- St. Catharines and Area Aquarium SocietyGeneral · St. Catharines
- Windsor Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Windsor
Quebec
- Montreal Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Montreal
- Société d'Aquariophilie de MontréalGeneral · Montreal
Saskatchewan
- Regina Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Regina
- Saskatoon Aquarium SocietyGeneral · Saskatoon
Add or correct a club
Clubs move venues, change meeting nights, and sometimes wind down — and no directory catches every club. If yours is missing, wrong, or defunct, write to contact@aquaristatlas.com with the club’s name, website, and where and when it meets.