Trophies

Trophies are achievements you collect by doing things around the site: posting ads, helping in the forums, sharing tanks, logging water tests, contributing to the library and more. Every trophy is counted from what you've actually done, so they can't be faked. They show on the Trophies tab of your public profile.

Where do I see my trophies?

Open Trophies (under More in the menu, or from your profile). You need to be signed in; signed-out visitors are sent to sign in. The page is your trophy cabinet:

• The heading Trophies with "Earned by doing things around the site. They show on your profile, and they can't be faked: every one is counted from what you've actually done."
• How others see it →, which opens the Trophies tab of your public profile.
• The Invite people, earn trophies card with your invite link (see Inviting friends).
• Your count, for example "12 / 85 trophies earned", with a gold progress bar.
• Filter buttons: All, Earned, Site and Society.
• Every trophy series, grouped by area.

The How others see it link and the invite card need a username on your account. If you haven't picked one yet, set it in your profile.

How do trophy series and tiers work?

Most trophies come in a series that climbs as you do more of the same thing. Each step has its own name and a tier: Bronze, then Silver, Gold and Platinum. A series is shown as one card that always displays the highest step you've reached.

Each card shows:

• The trophy name and your tier (for example "Gold"), or "Not yet earned".
• The month and year you earned it.
• How many steps of the series you've earned, for example "2/4".
• A short description of what it's for.
• A row of small bars, one per step, colored bronze, silver, gold or platinum as you earn them. Hover over a bar on a computer to see that step's name and requirement.
• Next: with the next step's name, and your progress toward it as a count and a thin bar, for example "37/50".

What areas are trophies grouped into?

Site trophies:

• Classifieds
• Forums
• Feed
• Tanks
• Water Check
• Library & Glossary
• Courses
• Events
• Fish Stores
• Community
• Referrals

Society trophies:

• Society · Membership
• Society · Breeding
• Society · Service

Each area heading shows how many of its trophies you've earned out of the total, for example "3/8".

What trophies can I earn?

The full list, with each step's name and exactly what it takes, is on your Trophies page, since that's where your own progress is shown. Some trophies worth knowing about:

• Species Photographer: earned when species photos you submit are used on species pages. See Submitting species photos.
• Videographer: earned when breeding videos you submit are used. See Breeding videos.
• Cartographer: earned when a species you requested is added to the library. See Requesting a species.
• Recruiter, Ambassador, Evangelist and Legend Maker: earned by inviting people who sign up and get involved. See Inviting friends.
• Founding Member: held by the Society's earliest members (see below).

The other series cover the rest of the areas listed above, from Classifieds to Community. Hover over a card on a computer to read its full description. If you haven't earned anything yet, the page says "Nothing yet. Post an ad, share a tank or reply in the forums to earn your first."

What do the All, Earned, Site and Society filters do?

• All: every trophy series, earned or not.
• Earned: only series where you've earned at least one step.
• Site: trophies anyone can earn around the site.
• Society: trophies for Underground Aquarium Society members.

What are Society trophies?

Breeding, peer review, membership and founding-member trophies are earned by members of the Underground Aquarium Society. Everyone can see them in the cabinet, but if you're not a member their area headings show Members only and their cards are locked with a padlock. At the bottom of the page, Unlock the Society trophies explains: "Breeding, peer review and founding-member trophies are earned by Underground Aquarium Society members. Join to start collecting them." See Joining the Society.

What is the Founding Member trophy?

Founding Member trophies go to the Society's earliest members, by member number: "Held by the Society's earliest members, by member number." They count as a single trophy, since nobody can hold more than one. Only the first 1,000 Society members can ever hold one. If you joined the Society after that, the Founding Member card is hidden from your cabinet because it can't be earned.

When do new trophies appear?

Trophies are checked automatically as you use the site, at most about once a minute, and again every time you open the Trophies page. A new trophy usually shows within a minute or so of earning it.

When you earn one:

• You get a trophy notification in your bell (turn these off under Trophies in your notification settings).
• It can appear in the Feed as "earned a trophy", with what it was for.
• It shows on your public profile's Trophies tab.

What do other people see?

On your public profile's Trophies tab, other members see only the trophies you've earned, not the ones you haven't, and they don't see your progress numbers. The same tab also shows any course certificates and Society breeder certificates you hold. On your own profile, the tab reminds you "This is how others see your trophies." with a link to Open your full cabinet.

What if a trophy looks wrong or missing?

Trophies are counted from your actual activity, so there's nothing to claim by hand. If you're sure you've met a step's requirement and it still hasn't appeared after reloading Trophies, email support@undergroundaquarium.com with the trophy name and what you did.

Are trophies the same as bubbles?

No. Bubbles are a running reputation score that can go up and down. Trophies are achievements you unlock and keep. Many actions earn both, but they're counted separately.

Common problems

I did the thing but the trophy hasn't appeared. Give it a minute, then open or reload Trophies, which checks again. Check the card's Next: progress count to see how far along you are.

I don't see my invite link or How others see it. Both need a username. Set one in your profile.

Society trophies are locked. They're for Society members only. Join the Society to start earning them.

The Founding Member card disappeared after I joined the Society. Your member number is above the founding range, so it can't be earned. It's hidden so it doesn't sit locked forever.

My trophy count went down after joining the Society. The total changes when the Founding Member card is hidden for members outside the founding range. Your earned trophies don't change.