Community rules

Underground Aquarium is a community built on good faith. These rules come from our Terms of Service and Listing rules. The Terms are the official, binding version; this guide explains them in plain words.

Who can use Underground Aquarium?

You must be 18 or older to create an account or use the site. When you sign up, you confirm you're 18 or older and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

What behavior isn't allowed?

When you post, comment, message or take part in anything on the site, don't:

• post anything unlawful, fraudulent, deceptive, infringing, defamatory, hateful, harassing, threatening or sexually explicit
• harass, bully, dox (publish someone's private details) or threaten other members, or encourage others to
• spam, advertise off-platform schemes, or post repetitive or misleading content
• impersonate another person, a business, or Underground Aquarium
• try to get into accounts or data that aren't yours, scrape the site, or interfere with how it runs
• use the site to break any law

We may remove content, limit features or suspend accounts that break these rules or put the community at risk.

Account rules

• Keep your login secure. You're responsible for everything that happens under your account.
• Give accurate information and keep it current.
• Tell us promptly at support@undergroundaquarium.com if you think your account was compromised.
• Don't share your account with anyone else.
• Don't create more than one account to get around a restriction, a block or a suspension.
• Don't impersonate anyone.

What are the rules for classified ads?

Classified ads are free, and deals are between the two people involved. We don't process payments, hold funds, arrange shipping, verify items or vet people. In short:

• Describe items honestly, and only post things you actually have and may lawfully sell or give away.
• Follow the laws where you live on keeping, selling or moving live animals and plants.
• Never list endangered or protected species, anything illegal where you or the buyer live, wild-collected animals or plants without a licence, sick or mistreated animals, prescription drugs or banned chemicals, or anything misleading or unrelated to the hobby.
• No restricted species as a "free gift", hidden in a bundle or described in code words.
• Never release aquarium animals or plants into the wild. Rehome them instead.

Listings that break the rules are removed, and repeat offenders lose their account. The full list is on Listing rules. See Livestock and restricted species.

What are the rules for reviews?

Store reviews must reflect a genuine experience. Store owners can claim their store page and reply to reviews, but may not post fake reviews, offer rewards for reviews, or remove honest ones. See Writing a store review.

Can I put links in my posts or events?

Events can't contain links. If you put a web address in an event's title or description, the form stops you with:

"Links aren't allowed in event descriptions. Put all the details right here on Underground Aquarium."

The event forms explain why: "Everything people need goes right here: times, prices, what to bring. Links aren't allowed." The site catches things like "https://…", "www.…" and addresses ending in .com, .org, .net, .shop, .club and similar. Mentioning undergroundaquarium.com is fine. Remove the address and save again. See Event rules.

Your profile's Website field is the one place built for a link. It shows as a clickable link on your public profile.

Anywhere else, keep links to a minimum and never use them to spam or send people to off-platform schemes.

Who owns the photos and posts I share?

You keep your own original files. But when you post anything on the site (photos, videos, listings, tanks, posts, comments, reviews, public messages, Society records, suggestions), the Terms of Service say you give Underground Aquarium a permanent, worldwide, royalty-free license to use it. In plain words:

• We can show, copy, edit, crop, convert and share your content anywhere, including in our marketing, social media, emails and print.
• We can show your name, username and profile photo with it.
• The license continues after you delete the content or your account, though we generally stop showing deleted content in public areas within a reasonable time. We may keep copies for backups and records.
• You aren't paid for content, and we aren't required to credit you (though we may).
• We can review, edit, move or remove any content at any time.
• We may use content to run and improve the site, including tools like search, species identification and recommendations.

Species photos and breeding videos: special rules

Some uploads are made specifically for our species library: species photos, breeding videos (courtship, spawning, eggs or fry), and suggestions of species or glossary terms.

• When we accept one, it belongs to Underground Aquarium, including the copyright. We can use, change, license, sell or remove it without paying you or asking again.
• You keep a personal right to keep your original files and share them on your own personal accounts. You can't license or sell that submission to anyone else after we accept it.
• Once it's live, you can't withdraw it, though we'll consider requests.
• Submissions we turn down are deleted and stay yours.
• We convert every photo and video to our own format and strip hidden data like location.

See Submitting species photos and Breeding videos.

What do I promise when I post?

For everything you post, you promise that:

• you created it or have every right needed to share it
• library photos and videos were taken by you, of your own animals or aquarium
• anyone recognizable in it agreed to be shown
• it doesn't break any law or anyone else's rights

You're responsible for what you post.

What if someone uses my work without permission?

Email support@undergroundaquarium.com with:

1. a description of your work
2. a link to the content you believe infringes it
3. your contact information
4. a statement that you believe in good faith the use isn't authorized

We'll review it, remove it where appropriate, and may disable repeat infringers.

What happens if I break the rules?

Depending on what happened, our team may:

• remove a listing, or hide a forum post or thread
• limit features
• suspend your account, which hides your public profile and makes your tanks private

You'll get a notification like Listing removed, Post hidden, Thread hidden or Account suspended. See Reporting content. If you think we got it wrong, email support@undergroundaquarium.com.

Is care information on the site professional advice?

No. Species profiles, tank tools and other care content are general guidance only, not a substitute for professional or veterinary advice. Always research an animal's or plant's needs before you keep it.

How do I report someone breaking the rules?

Use the Report link on the listing, post, thread, reply, tank or profile. See Reporting content. If you just don't want to deal with someone, block them. See Blocking people.

Common problems

"Links aren't allowed in event descriptions…" Remove every web address from the event's title and description, including short ones like "myclub.org", then save again. Put the details (times, prices, what to bring) right in the description.

My event text has no link but still gets the links error. Words that look like web addresses trigger it, for example something ending in ".com", ".club", ".live" or ".shop" with no space before the dot. Add a space or rephrase.

My post or listing was removed. It likely broke the Terms or listing rules. Email support@undergroundaquarium.com if you'd like to know more or think it was a mistake.

Can I use photos I found online in my listing? No. Only post photos you took or have the right to share. Stolen photos are a reason to remove a listing.

Can I ask for my accepted species photo to be taken down? Once accepted and live, library submissions can't be withdrawn, but you can email support@undergroundaquarium.com and we'll consider it.

Can I have two accounts? The Terms forbid creating more than one account to get around a restriction, block or suspension, and sharing an account with someone else. If you're unsure whether your situation is okay, ask support@undergroundaquarium.com.