Saving and sharing tanks

In the Tank Builder you can keep a build three ways: as an unsaved draft on your device, as a saved tank in your account (up to 4), or as a share link anyone can open. Saved tanks can also be made public so they show on your profile and in the feed.

What happens to my build if I don't save it?

Without saving (or without an account), your build is kept in the browser on the device you're using. Your size, units, fish and tank name come back when you refresh or return to the Tank Builder.

This draft is not saved when:

• You're on a tank size guide page. The builder there starts fresh every time.
• You're editing a saved tank (your changes live in the builder until you tap Update tank).
• Your browser blocks site storage, you're in a private or incognito window, or you clear site data.

A draft never moves between devices or browsers. Opening a shared build link also replaces your draft on that device. Once you save a tank, the draft is cleared.

How do I save a tank?

You need to be signed in. If you're not, the save area shows Sign in to save; tap it and you'll come back to the Tank Builder after signing in.

1. Set your size and add fish.
2. Under 3. Save your build, type a name in the box (placeholder "Name this tank (e.g. Living room 29)"). Names can be up to 80 characters.
3. Tap Save tank.

You'll see "Saved." The heading changes to 3. Your saved tank, the button changes to Update tank, and the tank appears under Your tanks at the top.

If you leave the name blank, the tank is named after its size (for example "29-gallon tank"), or "My Tank" if there's no size. You can save a tank with no size or no fish.

Tanks are always stored in gallons, rounded to one decimal place, even if you built it in litres. Saving your first tank, your first tank with fish in it, and your first public tank each earn you bubbles once. See Bubbles.

How many tanks can I save?

You can save 4 tanks. Public and private tanks both count.

If you already have 4 and tap Save tank on a new build, nothing is saved and you'll see: "You've saved 4 tanks. That's the limit for now. Update or delete one of your tanks above to make room for a new build."

To make room, either load an existing tank and change it into the new build (then tap Update tank), or delete a tank you no longer need.

How do I switch between my saved tanks?

When you're signed in and have at least one saved tank, Your tanks shows a card for each, newest-updated first. Each card shows the first photo (if any), the name, the size and number of species (for example "29 gal · 4 species"), and a Public badge if it's public.

Tap a card to load that tank into the builder. The builder scrolls to the top. The active card is highlighted green.

If the tank you're currently editing has changes you haven't saved, you'll be asked "You have unsaved changes. Switch tanks anyway?" Tap OK to switch and lose the changes, or Cancel to go back and save.

You can also open a saved tank from its public tank page: as the owner, tap Edit stock, which opens it in the Tank Builder.

How do I update a saved tank?

1. Load the tank from Your tanks.
2. Change anything: size, fish, quantities, name, photos or the public setting.
3. Unsaved changes appears in amber next to the heading.
4. Tap Update tank. You'll see "Saved."

Switching the unit toggle between gallons and litres also counts as a change. If saving fails you'll see "Couldn't save. Please try again."

How do I start a new build without losing a saved tank?

Tap New at the top of the builder. It clears the builder so you can start fresh; your saved tanks are not touched. If the tank you were editing has unsaved changes, you'll be asked "You have unsaved changes. Start a new build anyway?" first.

How do I add photos to a tank?

Photos need you to be signed in; the Photos area is inside the save section.

1. Under Photos, tap Add.
2. Choose one or more images.
3. While they upload the tile says "Uploading…". Each photo appears as a thumbnail.
4. Tap Save tank or Update tank to keep them. If you're editing a saved tank you'll see "Photos added. Save the tank to keep them."

Limits and handling:

• Up to 12 photos per tank. The Add tile disappears at 12.
• Each photo can be up to 10 MB when you choose it.
• Big photos are automatically resized (to at most 1920 pixels on the longest side) and saved as JPEG.
• The first photo is used as the tank's cover on its card.

To remove a photo, tap the X on its thumbnail, then tap Update tank. Photos only show publicly once the tank is public.

For a description and setup details, use Edit showcase on the tank's public page. See Sharing your tank.

What do the photo error messages mean?

• "Up to 12 photos per tank." You've hit the limit. Remove one before adding another.
• "Images only, please." The file you picked isn't an image.
• "That photo is too large (max 10 MB)." Pick a smaller file or shrink it first.
• "A photo failed to upload. Try again." A network or upload problem. Try again on a stronger connection.

How do I make a tank public on my profile?

1. Tick Show this tank on my profile and in the feed in the save section.
2. Tap Save tank or Update tank.

Once it's saved and has no unsaved changes, a View public page link appears. It opens the tank's page at /tanks/[id] in a new tab. Your Your tanks card shows a Public badge.

Public tanks can be seen by anyone, liked and commented on, and appear on your profile's Tanks tab. See Sharing your tank and Tank likes and comments.

To make it private again, untick the box and tap Update tank.

Who can see a private tank?

A tank that isn't public is private. On its page, you (the owner) see the label Only you can see this next to "Community tank." Private tanks don't appear on your public profile or in the feed. You can still see all your tanks, public and private, in the Your tanks section of your profile and in the Tank Builder.

Water test readings are never shown on a tank's public page. They're only visible to you in the Tank Builder.

How do I share a build with someone?

1. Set a size and/or add fish.
2. Tap Share build at the top of the builder.
3. On a phone, your share menu opens with the message "Check out my tank build on Underground Aquarium." On a computer, the link is copied and you'll see "Link copied. Anyone with it can open this build."

Anyone with the link can open it, no account needed. They see the same size and fish and can change it freely; their changes never affect your build or saved tank.

What a share link includes: the tank size (in gallons) and each species with its quantity. What it doesn't include: the tank name, photos, public setting or water test history.

A share link is a snapshot. If you change your tank later, send a new link. Share build is grayed out until you've entered a size or added at least one fish.

What happens when someone opens my share link?

The Tank Builder opens with your size and fish already filled in, and all the results calculated. The link is then tidied out of their address bar, so refreshing keeps their own edits instead of reloading your original.

If they had their own unsaved build on that device, the shared build replaces it. If a species in the link has since been removed from our library, it's left out. A link can carry up to 40 species.

To share a tank that people can like and comment on, make it public instead (see above).

How do I delete a saved tank?

1. Open the Tank Builder while signed in.
2. Under Your tanks, tap the small X in the top right corner of the tank's card.
3. Confirm the message "Delete "[name]"? Its water test history goes with it."

The tank, its photos list and all its logged water readings are removed. This can't be undone. If you were editing that tank, the builder keeps showing the fish so you can save it again as a new tank if you change your mind (if you have room under the 4 tank limit).

Deleting only happens in the Tank Builder; there's no delete button on the tank's public page. If you want to keep your water readings first, use Download my data on your Account & data page. If deleting fails you'll see "Couldn't delete that tank."

What happens to my tanks if I delete my account?

When you request account deletion, all your tanks are made private right away, so they disappear from your profile and the feed. See Deleting your account.

Common problems

I can't save: nothing happens or I see the 4 tank message. You've reached the 4 tank limit. Delete a tank or update an existing one instead.

My changes to a saved tank disappeared. Changes aren't saved until you tap Update tank. If you switched tanks or tapped New and confirmed, the changes were discarded.

My photos vanished after I left the page. Photos are only kept when you save the tank afterward. Add them, then tap Save tank or Update tank.

I don't see View public page. It only appears when the tank is saved, public, and has no unsaved changes. Tick the public box and tap Update tank.

The link I shared opens a blank builder. Make sure the whole link was copied, including everything after the question mark. Links that lost that part open an empty builder.

I built in litres but my saved tank shows gallons. Saved tanks are always stored and reopened in gallons. Tap Litres to convert the view again.

I edited photos with Edit showcase and some came back. If the Tank Builder was already open with that tank loaded, tapping Update tank there saves the photo list the builder had. Reload the Tank Builder before updating, or make photo changes in one place only.

Someone else's tanks show in my list. Your tanks only lists tanks you saved. If you see something unexpected, sign out and back in, then contact support@undergroundaquarium.com.