Joining the Society

Joining the Underground Aquarium Society takes three steps: apply, get approved by the officers, then pay dues to activate. You need a free Underground Aquarium account first.

How do I apply to join the Society?

1. Go to the Society page and click Apply for membership. This takes you to the membership page.
2. If you're signed out, you'll see "You'll need a free Underground Aquarium account to apply." Click Create an account or Log in. You're brought back to the membership page afterward.
3. Click Apply for membership to open the application form.
4. Fill in the form (every field is explained below) and click Submit application.

The page then switches to Application received. Click Cancel instead of submitting if you want to close the form without applying.

What does the Society application ask for?

The form has these fields, in this order:

• Name (required). Filled in from your account name if you have one. This is the name the officers see and the name that goes on your member card and certificates.
• Phone (required). Any format, for example (555) 123-4567.
• Mailing address (required): Street address, an optional Apt, suite, unit line, City, State (a dropdown of the 50 states plus DC) and ZIP. The ZIP must be 5 digits, or ZIP+4 like 95747-1234.
• Membership (required, defaults to Individual). Your plan: Individual (shows the yearly price) or Lifetime (shows the one-time price), if the Society offers a Lifetime rate.
• Experience (optional): Prefer not to say, Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced.
• Main interests (optional), for example "cichlids, planted tanks, breeding."
• How did you hear about us? (optional): A friend or fellow hobbyist, A local fish store, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube, Google search, A fish club or show, or Other.
• Note to the Society officers (optional): anything you'd like the reviewers to know.

Who can see my phone number and address?

Your phone number and mailing address are sent with your application to the Society officers so the Society can reach you. They are not shown on your profile, the leaderboard or anywhere public. The Society roster itself is private; only the member count is public.

Which membership plan should I pick?

• Individual is paid per year and renews each year when you pay again. Nothing charges automatically.
• Lifetime is paid once and never renews.

The plan you choose on the application is the one you'll be asked to pay for after approval. There's no button to switch plans yourself later; email support@undergroundaquarium.com if you want to change. Family memberships are no longer offered. See Society dues and renewal and Lifetime and honorary membership.

What happens after I submit my Society application?

Your application goes to the Society officers for review. While you wait, the membership page shows:

Application received. "We're reviewing it now. You'll get a notification the moment you're approved, and then you can pay dues and step into the member area."

The site doesn't give a set review time. You don't need to do anything while you wait.

How will I know I've been approved?

You'll get two things:

• A notification in the bell telling you you're approved, with a link to the membership page to pay.
• An email. If your plan has dues, the subject is "You're approved for the Underground Aquarium Society. One step left." It shows your Plan (Individual, 1 year, or Lifetime) and the Amount, with a button that says Pay [amount] and activate. If there were no dues to pay, the email says "Welcome to the Underground Aquarium Society" and has an Enter the member area button.

Once approved, the membership page shows your member card and a box to pay. Pay there and you're in. See Society dues and renewal.

I was approved. Why can't I get into the member area yet?

Approval is step two of three. Until your dues are paid, Society links take you to the membership page, which shows an Activate your membership box (or Lifetime membership for the Lifetime plan) with a Pay button showing the exact amount. Once the payment clears, you'll see "Dues paid, thank you! Your membership is active." and a Go to the member area link.

How do I accept an email invitation to join the Society?

Society officers can invite people by email. The email's subject is "You're invited to join Underground Aquarium Society" and it has a Join the club button (plus the link written out to paste into your browser). The link looks like undergroundaquarium.com/join/ followed by a long code.

1. Open the link. You'll see "Checking your invite..." and then "Joining the club...".
2. If you're signed out, the page says You're invited to a club. Click Log in or Create account.
3. After signing in, open the invite link from your email again. This step matters: the sign-in page doesn't bring you back to the invite automatically.
4. Once accepted, you're taken to the membership page, which shows where you stand (for example, a box to pay dues).

What does "Invite problem" mean?

If an invite can't be used, the page says Invite problem with a reason, most often "This invite is no longer valid." or "This invite couldn't be used." That usually means the invite was already used or has been withdrawn. Click Go home, then either apply normally from the Society page or ask the officer who invited you for a new invite. You can also email support@undergroundaquarium.com.

Can I withdraw my application?

Yes. While your application is pending, go to the membership page and click Withdraw application under Application received. Your browser asks you to confirm. Once withdrawn, the page shows the application form again, so you can reapply whenever you like.

What if my application isn't approved?

If the officers decline an application, it's removed and the membership page shows the application form again. The site doesn't send a notification or email when an application is declined. If you think there's been a mistake, email support@undergroundaquarium.com.

Can I change my application details after submitting?

There's no edit button on a pending application. You can Withdraw application and apply again with the correct details. After you're a member, you can change your roster name and contact email yourself (see Leaving the Society). For a new phone number or mailing address, email support@undergroundaquarium.com.

Can I turn off Society notifications?

Yes. In your notification settings (the gear in the bell, or Notifications), switch off Society ("Membership applications and dues"). See Notifications.

Common problems

"Please enter your name." The Name field is empty. Type the name you want on the roster.

"Please add a phone number so the Society can reach you." Phone is required. Add any phone number you can be reached at.

"Please add your full mailing address." Street address, City, State and ZIP are all required. The apartment line is the only optional part.

"Please enter a 5-digit ZIP code." The ZIP must be 5 digits, or 5 digits, a hyphen and 4 more (like 95747-1234). Remove spaces or letters.

"Couldn't submit your application." Something went wrong saving it. Check your connection and try again. If it keeps happening, email support@undergroundaquarium.com.

The membership page says "Couldn't load your membership". The roster couldn't be read just then. Nothing changed. Try again in a minute.

I signed in from an invite but nothing happened. Open the invite link from your email again after signing in. The invite is only accepted when you open the link while signed in.

I don't see the Lifetime option. The Lifetime choice only appears when the Society has set a Lifetime rate.