Creating an account

An Underground Aquarium account is free. You can create one with an email address and password, or with your Google account. Everyone must be 18 or older.

What can I do without an account?

A lot of the site is open to everyone, signed in or not. Without an account you can:

• browse and search the Classifieds
• read the Feed and the Forums
• look up Fish Species, the Glossary, Breeding Guides and Courses
• plan a tank in the Tank Builder
• find shops in the fish store directory
• read the Help Center, the About page, the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy

You need a free account to post an ad, message someone, post or comment in the feed, start or reply to forum threads, see your notifications and messages, keep a profile, earn bubbles and trophies, or join The Society.

What does an account cost?

Nothing. Creating an account is free, and so are posting classified ads, the feed, the forums and the tools. The Underground Aquarium Society has optional membership dues, but you never need to join it to use the rest of the site. See About Underground Aquarium for what is free and what is paid.

How do I sign up with my email address?

1. Go to the Create account page. You can reach it from Register on the Log in page, or from any Create account button on the site.
2. Fill in Username. Use letters, numbers and underscores only. No spaces, dashes, dots or other symbols.
3. Fill in Email. This is the address you will log in with and where we send your confirmation link.
4. Fill in Password. The form requires at least 6 characters.
5. Tick the box that reads "I confirm I am 18 or older and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy." The two links open the full documents in a new tab.
6. Click Register. The button shows "Creating account…" while it works.

You will then see a Check your inbox screen. Open the email we sent and click the link to finish. See Confirming your email for the next step.

How do I sign up with Google instead?

On the Create account page, click Sign up with Google at the top of the form. Google asks you to pick an account, then sends you back to Underground Aquarium.

Because Google has already confirmed your email, there is no confirmation email to click. The first time, you land on a Welcome page where you choose your username and confirm you are 18 or older. See Signing in with Google and Choosing a username and the Welcome page.

What do the fields on the Create account page mean?

Username

Your public name on the site. It shows on your posts, tanks, listings and profile, and it forms your profile address (/u/yourname). Letters, numbers and underscores only. The hint under the box turns red as soon as you type a space or symbol.

Email

Used to log in, to confirm your account and to send you notifications and password reset links. Other members do not see it.

Password

At least 6 characters on this form. Your browser may offer to suggest a strong password. Note that if you later reset or change your password, the new one must be at least 8 characters, so it is a good idea to choose 8 or more now.

The age and terms checkbox

Required. You cannot create an account without ticking it.

Why do I have to confirm I'm 18 or older?

Underground Aquarium is for adults. Our Terms of Service say you must be at least 18 to create an account or use the site, and we do not knowingly allow anyone younger to register. Everyone confirms this when they sign up, whether with email or with Google.

What happens after I click Register?

1. The page changes to Check your inbox and shows the address we sent the link to.
2. Open that email and click the confirmation link.
3. The link confirms your address, signs you in and takes you on to the site (the Feed, or the page you were on before you started signing up).

The Check your inbox screen also has Go to log in and Use a different email buttons. If the email does not arrive, see Confirming your email.

Will I lose my place if I sign up in the middle of something?

Usually not. When the site sends you to Log in or Create account from a page, it remembers that page and brings you back afterwards. Moving between Log in and Register keeps that return address too.

If you were typing a forum reply, a new forum thread or a feed comment when you were asked to log in, the text is saved in that browser tab and put back in the box when you return. If your browser blocks site storage, you may need to type it again.

I was invited by a friend. Does that matter?

If a friend shared their invite link with you (it looks like /register?ref=theirname), just sign up from that link. The site remembers who invited you, even if you move to the Log in page first, and credits your friend once your new account is signed in. Credit only counts for brand new accounts. See Inviting friends.

I got a club invite link. How do I accept it?

Club invite links go to a page that says Checking your invite… and then Joining the club…. If you are signed in, you join automatically and land on the club page.

If you are signed out, the page says You're invited to a club:

1. Click Log in, or Create account if you are new.
2. Finish signing in (and confirm your email if you just registered).
3. Open the invite link again. The page reminds you: "After signing in, open this invite link again to finish joining."

If you see Invite problem with "This invite is no longer valid." or "This invite couldn't be used.", ask the person who sent it for a new link. See Clubs.

Can I have more than one account?

Each account needs its own email address. There is no way to merge two accounts on your own. If you ended up with two by accident, email support@undergroundaquarium.com with both usernames.

Can I change my email address later?

There is no setting to change the email address on your account. Email support@undergroundaquarium.com from your current address and tell us the new one.

Common problems

"Username can only contain letters, numbers, and underscores, no spaces or other symbols." Your username has a space, dash, dot, emoji or other symbol. Remove it. For example, change "tank-guy 42" to "tank_guy42".

"Please confirm you are 18 or older and agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy." Tick the checkbox above the Register button, then click Register again.

My browser says the password is too short. The password field needs at least 6 characters. Your browser shows its own message until you reach that.

I clicked Register and got an error message instead of Check your inbox. The message comes straight from our sign in system. If it mentions the password, choose a longer one. If you can't tell what went wrong, try a different username in case yours is already taken, then try again. Still stuck? Email support@undergroundaquarium.com with the exact message.

It says Check your inbox but no email ever arrives, and I've used this address before. If you already have an account with that email, the site still shows Check your inbox, but no new confirmation is sent. Go to Log in instead, or use Forgot your password? if you don't remember it. See Signing in and passwords.

I typed my email wrong. Click Use a different email on the Check your inbox screen, fix the address and click Register again.

The Register page shows even though I'm signed in. The Create account page doesn't check whether you're already signed in. You don't need a second account; just go to the Feed or your Dashboard.