Terms of Service

1. Accepting these terms

By accessing or using AquaFolks you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these terms. If you don't agree, please don't use the site. Some features are available without an account, but the same terms apply to everyone who uses AquaFolks.

2. Who can use AquaFolks

You must be at least 13 years old, or the minimum age required in your country to use an online service without a parent's consent, whichever is higher. If you are under 18, you should use AquaFolks with the involvement of a parent or guardian, and you should not buy or sell anything on the marketplace without their permission.

3. Your account

• Give accurate information when you sign up and keep it up to date.
• You may sign up with an email and password or with a Google account.
• Keep your password secure. You are responsible for everything that happens under your account, so tell us straight away if you think someone else has accessed it.
• One person, one account. Don’t impersonate other people or create accounts to get around a suspension.
• A “verified” badge means we have confirmed something about that account. It is not an endorsement of the person, their content or anything they sell.

4. Your content

“Your content” is everything you post on AquaFolks: tanks, photos, videos and video links, projects, updates, water parameter logs, livestock and equipment lists, comments, messages, marketplace listings and your profile.

• You own it. Posting on AquaFolks does not transfer ownership of your content to us.
• You give us a licence to run the site. You grant AquaFolks a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, store, reproduce, resize, display and distribute your content as needed to operate, secure and improve the service — for example, showing your tank to other members, in search results and in the feeds of people who follow you. This licence ends when you delete the content or your account, except for copies in routine backups and content other people have already shared or quoted.
• You are responsible for it.You promise that you own your content or have permission to post it, that it doesn't infringe anyone's rights, and that it follows these terms. Don't post photos or text made by other people without their permission.
• Public by default. Tanks, public projects, updates and comments can be seen by anyone, including people without an account and search engines. Private projects are visible only to you. Think before posting personal information such as your address.

5. Acceptable use

Keep AquaFolks friendly and safe. You agree not to:

• Break the law or encourage others to, including laws about keeping, selling or moving animals and plants.
• Harass, threaten, bully or discriminate against other members, or post hateful, sexually explicit, violent or otherwise inappropriate content.
• Post content that shows or promotes animal cruelty or neglect.
• Post spam, run scams, create fake or misleading listings, or use the site for unsolicited advertising.
• Post false or deliberately misleading information, including invented water test results or species details.
• Infringe copyright, trademarks or other rights.
• Collect other people’s personal information, or scrape the site with automated tools without our written permission.
• Upload malware, probe for vulnerabilities, overload the service or try to get around security or rate limits.
• Impersonate another person or misrepresent your connection to a person or organisation.

6. Community features

You can follow other members, like and comment on tanks, projects and updates, and send private messages. Follows, likes and comments are visible to other members. Messages are private between the people in the conversation, but anyone you message can copy or share what you send, so be considerate.

If you see something that breaks these terms, use the Reportbutton on the tank, project, listing or comment. Our moderators review reports and may remove content, warn members, or suspend or ban accounts. We don't promise to review everything in advance and we are not responsible for what members post, but we will act on reports where we reasonably can.

7. Marketplace

The marketplace is not currently available. These rules will apply if and when it returns.

The marketplace lets members list fish, plants, equipment and full setups for sale, trade or giveaway. AquaFolks is only a place for members to find each other.

• We are not a party to any deal.Transactions are between buyer and seller. We don't handle payments, hold money, inspect or ship items, or guarantee the quality, health, identity or legality of anything listed. Listings are currently free; we may introduce fees in the future and will tell you before we do.
• Sellers are responsible for legality and accuracy. If you list live animals or plants, you must describe them honestly and make sure you are allowed to sell and ship them — including any permits, import and export rules, and restrictions on invasive, protected or prohibited species in your area. Animals must be kept and shipped humanely.
• Buyers should take care. Ask questions, check photos, and be cautious about paying before you receive an item. Meet in a safe public place for local pickups. Report suspicious listings.
• We may remove any listing, or restrict marketplace access, at our discretion — for example for prohibited items, misleading listings or reports of scams.

8. Aquarium information

AquaFolks shows species details, care levels, tank size suggestions, water parameter readings and advice from other members. This is general information for hobbyists, not professional veterinary, scientific or safety advice. Members' tips and logged readings are their own experience and may not suit your tank. Every aquarium is different — research your species and equipment, and consult a qualified vet or specialist if an animal is sick or you are unsure. You use this information at your own risk.

9. Our intellectual property

The AquaFolks name, logo, design, software and everything else we provide (other than your content and other members' content) belong to us or our licensors and are protected by law. We give you a limited, personal, non-transferable right to use the site as intended. You may not copy, modify, resell or reverse engineer it. If you send us feedback or ideas, we may use them without obligation to you.

If you believe content on AquaFolks infringes your copyright, email us at [email protected] with a description of the work, a link to the content and your contact details, or use the Report button and choose “Copyright Violation”. We may remove content and suspend repeat infringers.

10. Third-party services

AquaFolks may link to or embed services we don't control — for example Google sign-in and videos from sites like YouTube or Vimeo. Your use of those services is governed by their own terms and privacy policies, and we aren't responsible for them.

11. Suspension and termination

You can stop using AquaFolks at any time. We may warn, suspend or permanently ban an account, and remove content, if we reasonably believe you broke these terms, put others at risk, or we are required to by law. Where appropriate we'll tell you why. If you think we made a mistake, contact us and we'll take another look. Sections that by their nature should continue after your account ends — such as content licences, disclaimers, limits on liability and governing law — will continue to apply.

12. Disclaimers

AquaFolks is provided “as is” and “as available”. To the fullest extent the law allows, we make no promises that the service will be uninterrupted, error-free or secure, that content is accurate, or that it will meet your needs, and we disclaim all warranties, whether express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. We don't endorse or guarantee any member, content, listing or transaction.

13. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent the law allows, AquaFolks and the people who run it are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for loss of profits, data or goodwill, or for the loss, illness or death of animals or plants, arising from your use of the service or from dealings with other members. Our total liability to you for any claim relating to the service is limited to the greater of (a) the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim, which is currently nothing, and (b) USD 50. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law.

14. Indemnification

You agree to cover the reasonable costs, losses and claims (including legal fees) that arise from your content, your breach of these terms, or your dealings with other members, to the extent permitted by law.

15. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of [your state or country], without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute will be handled in the courts of [your state or country], unless the law where you live gives you the right to bring a claim elsewhere. Before starting formal proceedings, please contact us so we can try to resolve it informally.

16. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms as AquaFolks grows. When we make important changes we'll update the date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, tell you on the site or by email. If you keep using AquaFolks after the changes take effect, you accept the updated terms. We may also change, pause or discontinue features of the service.

17. Contact us

Questions about these terms, or need to report a problem? Email us at [email protected].