Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Aquarium Tank Mates operates the website www.aquariumtankmates.com (the "Site"), a free web tool that helps aquarium hobbyists calculate tank bioloads and check fish compatibility. We are the data controller for any personal data collected through this Site.

For any privacy-related questions or requests, please contact us at: support@aquariumtankmates.com.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Voluntarily

We only collect personal information that you choose to give us directly. This occurs when you:

• Submit a message via our Contact Us form (name and email address).
• Send us an email at support@aquariumtankmates.com.

We do not require you to create an account, and we do not process payments of any kind.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit the Site, certain information is collected automatically by us and our third-party partners (see Section 4). This may include:

• Your IP address and approximate geographic location (country/city level).
• Browser type, version, and operating system.
• Pages visited, time spent on the Site, and referring URLs.
• Device identifiers and browser cookie data (see Section 3 for full details).

3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies — small text files stored in your browser — to operate the Site and enable third-party analytics and advertising services. Below is a summary of the categories of cookies in use:

3.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are required for the Site to function. They do not collect any personally identifiable information. No consent is required for these cookies.

3.2 Analytics Cookies (Google Analytics)

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with the Site. Google Analytics sets cookies (such as _ga and _gid) that collect information about your visit in an aggregated, anonymised form, including pages viewed, session duration, and referral source.

This data is processed by Google LLC in accordance with their Privacy Policy. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking at any time by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

3.3 Advertising Cookies (Google Ads)

We may display advertisements on the Site served by Google Ads (via Google AdSense or similar services). Google uses cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our Site and other sites across the web. These cookies help Google show you more relevant advertisements and measure the effectiveness of ad campaigns.

You can manage your Google ad personalisation preferences at adssettings.google.com. You can also opt out of interest-based advertising at aboutads.info/choices.

3.4 Affiliate Tracking Cookies (Amazon Associates)

The Site participates in the Amazon Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to Amazon.co.uk and affiliated sites. When you click an affiliate link on our Site and visit Amazon, Amazon may place cookies in your browser to track the referral and attribute any subsequent purchases to our account. We earn a small commission on qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

Amazon's use of your data is governed by the Amazon Privacy Notice.

4. Third-Party Services

We integrate the following third-party services, each of which may process data independently:

• Google LLC — Analytics, Advertising (see Section 3). Privacy Policy
• Amazon.com, Inc. — Affiliate links (see Section 3.4). Privacy Notice

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party for their own marketing purposes.

5. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR / UK GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, our legal bases for processing personal data are:

• Consent — for analytics and advertising cookies, where required.
• Legitimate Interests — for aggregated analytics that help us improve the Site, where your interests do not override ours.
• Contractual Necessity / Pre-contractual Steps — for responding to contact form enquiries.
• Legal Obligation — where required to comply with applicable law.

6. Your Privacy Rights

6.1 GDPR / UK GDPR Rights (EEA & UK Residents)

You have the following rights with respect to your personal data:

• Right to Access — Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification — Request correction of inaccurate personal data.
• Right to Erasure — Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten").
• Right to Restriction — Request that we restrict the processing of your data.
• Right to Data Portability — Receive your data in a machine-readable format.
• Right to Object — Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Right to Withdraw Consent — Withdraw consent for cookie-based processing at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@aquariumtankmates.com. We will respond within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority (e.g., the UK Information Commissioner's Office or your local EU supervisory authority).

6.2 CCPA Rights (California Residents)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants you additional rights, including the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect, use, disclose, or sell about you.
• Request deletion of your personal information (with certain exceptions).
• Opt out of the sale of your personal information. We do not sell personal information.
• Not be discriminated against for exercising your CCPA rights.

To submit a CCPA request, please email us at support@aquariumtankmates.com with the subject line "CCPA Request".

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data submitted via the contact form only as long as necessary to respond to your enquiry, typically no longer than 12 months. Analytics data retained by Google is subject to Google's own retention policies. You may request deletion of any personal data we hold at any time by contacting us.

8. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect the information we collect from unauthorised access, disclosure, or destruction. However, no internet transmission is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Children's Privacy

The Site is not directed at children under 13 years of age (or under 16 in the EEA). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

10. International Data Transfers

Data collected through Google Analytics and Google Ads may be transferred to and processed in the United States. Google participates in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and complies with applicable transfer mechanisms. By using the Site, you acknowledge this transfer.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page will reflect the most recent revision. We encourage you to review this page occasionally. Continued use of the Site after any update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

12. Contact Us

For any privacy-related questions, requests, or complaints, please contact us at:

📧 support@aquariumtankmates.com
🌐 www.aquariumtankmates.com/contact.html