Posting an event

Anyone with a free account can post an aquarium event on Events: a swap, auction, club meeting, meetup, sale or online get-together. Posting is free. Community events are reviewed by our team before they go public; events posted for a fish store you manage go live right away.

How do I post an event?

1. Sign in and go to Events.
2. Click Submit an event (top right). This opens Submit an event.
3. Fill in the form. Only Event title and Starts are required.
4. Click Submit event. It shows "Submitting..." while it saves.

If you're signed out, the submit page says "Please sign in to post an event." with a Sign in button.

What does each field on the event form mean?

• Posting as (only if you manage a published fish store): choose Community event (you) or one of your shops, shown as "[shop name] (your shop)." The hint underneath says whether it will be reviewed or publish right away.
• Event title (required). For example "Spring Frag Swap." Links aren't allowed.
• Description (optional but important). Put everything people need right here: what's happening, who should come, times, prices, what to bring. Line breaks are kept. Links aren't allowed.
• Starts (required): date and time.
• Ends (optional): date and time.
• This is an online event: tick this for a virtual event. The address fields are replaced by Event link (optional).
• Event link (optional), online events only: the meeting link people use to join. It appears on the event page as a join link.
• Venue name, Address, City, State and ZIP, in-person events only, all optional. For example "Rocklin Community Center." Use the 2-letter state code, like CA.
• Capacity (optional): the maximum number of people who can RSVP as going. Leave it blank for unlimited.
• Cover image (optional): click Click to upload a cover image and choose a photo.

The Submit event button stays grayed out until you've entered a title and a start time.

What time zone does my event use?

When you first submit, the start and end times are saved in your device's time zone. So if you're in California posting a Texas auction and you type 9:00 AM, it's saved as 9:00 AM Pacific.

To fix this, after posting open the event, click Edit event and choose the right Time zone (Eastern, Central, Mountain, Arizona, Pacific, Alaska or Hawaii). In the edit panel, the times you enter are local to the event, so a 9:30 AM Ohio auction still reads 9:30 AM when edited from California. See Editing and deleting events.

What happens after I submit a community event?

You'll see "Thanks, your event was submitted!" and "We review community submissions before they go public. You'll see it on the events page once it's approved." Click Back to events to return.

Until it's approved, the event isn't on the public list, and its page shows "This event is pending review and isn't public yet." The site doesn't send a notification or email when your event is approved, so check Events for it. After approval, the events list shows "Community event" as the host, and the event page shows your name (or username).

How long does event review take?

The site doesn't promise a set time. If your event still isn't showing after a reasonable wait, or the event date is getting close, email support@undergroundaquarium.com with the event title and date.

How do I post an event for my fish store?

If you've claimed a fish store listing and it's published, the form shows a Posting as menu.

1. Choose your shop from Posting as.
2. Fill in the rest of the form and click Submit event.

Shop events skip review: you'll see "Your event is live!" and "It's now published on the events page," with a View event button. Your store's name shows as the host and links to your store page. You (and anyone else who manages that store listing) can edit it later. If you don't see Posting as, your store claim isn't approved yet or the listing isn't published; see Claiming your store.

How do I add a cover image to my event?

Click Click to upload a cover image in the form and pick a photo. JPG, PNG and iPhone HEIC photos all work; HEIC is converted to JPG automatically. A preview appears, with Remove image underneath if you change your mind.

Cover images display in a wide shape (about 1200 by 630), so a landscape photo works best. Without a cover image, the events list shows a colored date card and the event page shows the Underground Aquarium party tank picture.

How do I post a recurring event, like a monthly meeting?

Each event has one date. Post a separate event for each meeting. After a meeting is posted and approved, open it, click Edit event and set Type to Meeting.

Can I post an online event?

Yes. Tick This is an online event, and optionally paste the meeting link into Event link (optional). The event page shows Online event with a join link, and the list shows Online. The meeting link goes in that field only; links in the title or description aren't allowed.

Can I add a link to tickets or a website?

No. Links aren't allowed in the title or description (see Event rules). Write out ticket prices and how to get tickets in the description. Online events can use the separate Event link field for the meeting link.

Is posting an event free?

Yes. Posting and RSVPing are free.

Common problems

"A title and start date/time are required." Enter an Event title and pick a Starts date and time.

"Links aren't allowed in event descriptions. Put all the details right here on Underground Aquarium." Your title or description contains a web address or something that looks like one (for example a word ending in .com, .org or .net). Remove it and write the details out. Mentioning undergroundaquarium.com is fine. See Event rules.

"Couldn't submit the event. Please check your details and try again." The event didn't save. Check your details, then try again.

"Couldn't upload that image. Try a JPG or PNG." The photo didn't upload. Try a JPG or PNG, or a smaller photo.

"Please sign in again." Your session ended while uploading. Sign in and try again.

My event isn't on the events page. Community events wait for review first. If it's approved and still missing, open it, click Edit event and make sure Show on the public events page is ticked. Events also drop off the list about 12 hours after they start.

My event shows the wrong time. It was saved in your device's time zone. Open it, click Edit event, pick the event's Time zone and re-enter the times.

I can't find my pending event. You aren't given a link to a pending event. Once it's approved it appears on Events. If you need to change something before then, email support@undergroundaquarium.com.