Terms of Use

1. Definitions

“TankForge,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to the operator of the TankForge Service. “You” and “your” refer to the individual using the Service. “Content” means any data, text, images, or other material you submit to or create within the Service.

2. Eligibility and account

• You must be at least 13 years old (or the minimum age required by the laws of your jurisdiction, such as 16 in the EEA) to use the Service.
• You must provide accurate account information and keep it up to date.
• You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.
• You must keep your login credentials secure and notify us promptly if you suspect unauthorized access.

3. Acceptable use

• Do not misuse the Service, attempt unauthorized access, or interfere with its normal operation.
• Do not upload malicious content, exploit vulnerabilities, reverse-engineer the Service, or scrape data at abusive rates.
• Do not use the Service in any way that violates applicable law or regulation.
• Do not impersonate another person or misrepresent your affiliation with any entity.

4. User content

You retain ownership of the Content you submit, such as aquarium profiles, notes, maintenance logs, and journal entries. You grant TankForge a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable license to host, process, display, and transmit that Content solely as necessary to operate, maintain, and improve the Service. This license ends when you delete the Content or your account, except to the extent copies are retained in backups or as required by law.

Line-item photo attachments. Certain optional photo attachments for supported tank line items are intentionally stored outside TankForge server infrastructure. When you add one of these photos, the stored copy lives on your device and, if you enable iCloud Drive, in your personal iCloud Drive app container. TankForge does not host or transmit those specific line-item photo attachments through its servers. As a result, availability of those photos may depend on your device storage, your iCloud Drive status, and your Apple account configuration.

5. Shared links and caretaker access

If you create share links, anyone with the link may view the shared tank snapshot until it expires or is deleted. If you grant caretaker access, the caretaker may view and interact with designated tank data as permitted by the access level you assign. You are responsible for managing and revoking share links and caretaker access.

6. Subscriptions and billing

Free tier. TankForge provides up to two regular tanks plus one quarantine/hospital tank, along with core logging, compatibility, reminders, and limited daily TankAI usage. No payment is required for the free tier.

Pro subscription. TankForge Pro unlocks unlimited tanks and additional workflow features such as care plans, treatment planning, vacation support, advanced analytics, exports, widgets, and custom app icons. Pro is offered as a monthly or yearly auto-renewing subscription.

Payment processing. Subscriptions purchased through the iOS app are processed by Apple via App Store In-App Purchase and are subject to Apple’s terms. Subscriptions purchased through the web are processed by Stripe. Subscriptions purchased through Android are processed by Google Play. TankForge does not directly collect or store credit card numbers or bank account details.

Auto-renewal and cancellation. Subscriptions auto-renew at the end of each billing period unless you cancel before the renewal date. For App Store subscriptions, manage or cancel in your iPhone’s Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. For Stripe subscriptions, manage via your TankForge account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current paid period; you retain access until then.

Refunds. App Store purchases are subject to Apple’s refund policy. Stripe refund requests should be directed to [email protected]. We handle refund requests in accordance with applicable law.

Price changes. We may change subscription prices. For App Store subscriptions, Apple will notify you in advance per their policies. For Stripe subscriptions, we will notify you by email at least 30 days before the new price takes effect.

7. Intellectual property

The Service, including its design, code, graphics, logos, and documentation, is owned by TankForge and protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. These Terms do not grant you any right to use TankForge trademarks, logos, or branding without prior written consent. The aquarium care content, species data, and recommendations provided by the Service are proprietary to TankForge.

8. Service availability

We may update, suspend, or discontinue parts of the Service at any time, with or without notice. We do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free availability. Planned maintenance or unforeseen outages do not entitle you to a refund except as required by applicable law.

9. TankAI and automated features

Local TankAI answers. TankAI answers are generated on your device. TankAI questions, conversation context, and responses are not sent to TankForge servers for answer generation.

Explicit feedback only. If you tap thumbs up or thumbs down on a TankAI response, TankForge may receive your feedback value, a limited query and response preview, platform and app version, response type/source metadata, matched article identifiers, and optional correction text so we can improve answer quality.

Deterministic-first guidance. TankAI is designed to use TankForge-owned aquarium logic, curated care content, catalog retrieval, compatibility context, and tool-style calculations before any optional on-device AI explanation layer.

Accuracy limitations. TankAI responses may contain inaccuracies, omissions, or errors and are not guaranteed to be complete or correct. You must independently verify all guidance, especially regarding species compatibility, water parameters, disease diagnosis, medication dosing, and any advice that could affect the health or safety of living animals.

Not a substitute for expert advice. TankAI does not replace professional veterinary care, expert aquarist guidance, or manufacturer instructions. If TankAI and the app’s compatibility engine provide conflicting information, defer to the compatibility engine results and consult trusted care sources.

Test strip color scanner. The Test Strip Scanner uses your device camera to compare pad colors against reference swatches. Scan results are estimates produced by color-matching algorithms and are subject to variation based on lighting conditions, camera calibration, strip brand, and user technique. Scan results are not a substitute for laboratory or certified test kit verification. Never make significant dosing, treatment, or livestock decisions based solely on color scan results without independent confirmation from a separate test method.

10. Disclaimer of warranties

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.

THE SERVICE IS USED ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. TankForge provides informational guidance for general reference purposes only. We strive for accuracy, but we do not warrant that any recommendation, alert, compatibility result, dosage guidance, care plan, maintenance schedule, AI-generated response, test strip scan result, species profile, water chemistry suggestion, or other content is complete, current, or 100% accurate. This includes — without limitation — the app’s compatibility engine, dosing calculators, CO₂ calculator, disease guides, test strip color scanner, TankAI responses, and any automated alert. Automated suggestions and AI-generated content may contain errors.

You are solely responsible for independently verifying species care, treatment, and dosing information against reliable sources and manufacturer labels before acting on any guidance from the Service. Nothing in the Service constitutes professional veterinary, medical, or emergency advice.

11. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, TANKFORGE AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, PROFITS, REVENUE, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICE, REGARDLESS OF THE THEORY OF LIABILITY.

WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, TANKFORGE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOSS, INJURY, DEATH, DISEASE, STRESS, OR OTHER HARM TO AQUATIC LIFE, PLANTS, CORAL, MACROALGAE, OR INVERTEBRATES, OR FOR AQUARIUM OR EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTION, FAILURE, OR DAMAGE. THIS EXCLUSION APPLIES REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE HARM RESULTS FROM RELIANCE ON COMPATIBILITY RESULTS, WATER PARAMETER ALERTS, DOSING GUIDANCE, TEST STRIP SCAN READINGS, CARE PLANS, MAINTENANCE SCHEDULES, TANKAI RESPONSES, SPECIES PROFILES, CO₂ CALCULATIONS, DISEASE DIAGNOSES, OR ANY OTHER OUTPUT OF THE SERVICE.

IN JURISDICTIONS THAT DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES, OUR LIABILITY IS LIMITED TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. IN NO EVENT SHALL OUR AGGREGATE LIABILITY EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO TANKFORGE IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless TankForge and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your use of the Service; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your Content; or (d) your violation of any rights of a third party.

13. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time if you violate these Terms, if required for security or legal reasons, or if we discontinue the Service. You may delete your account at any time by contacting [email protected]. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (including Disclaimer, Limitation of Liability, Indemnification, and Governing Law) will survive.

14. Third-party services

The Service integrates with third-party services including Apple (Sign in with Apple, App Store, APNs, DeviceCheck, Foundation Models for on-device AI), Google (Google Sign-In, Google Play), and Stripe (payment processing). Your use of those services is governed by their respective terms and privacy policies. TankForge is not responsible for the practices of third-party providers. TankAI uses Apple’s on-device Foundation Models framework; AI processing occurs entirely on your device and is subject to Apple’s terms for Apple Intelligence.

15. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will post the revised Terms with a new effective date and, where required by law, notify you by email or in-app notice. Your continued use of the Service after the updated Terms become effective constitutes acceptance. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, stop using the Service.

16. Governing law and disputes

Binding arbitration. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, you and TankForge agree to resolve any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service through binding individual arbitration rather than in court, except that either party may bring an individual claim in small claims court. YOU AND TANKFORGE WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL AND WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION OR CLASS-WIDE ARBITRATION. Arbitration shall be conducted under the rules of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) Consumer Arbitration Rules, with proceedings conducted in Pennsylvania or by videoconference. If this arbitration clause is found unenforceable for any reason, the exclusive jurisdiction clause below applies. This clause does not apply to users in jurisdictions where mandatory pre-dispute arbitration of consumer claims is prohibited by law (including the EU and UK).

Governing law. These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. For any claims not subject to arbitration, the exclusive venue is the state or federal courts located in Pennsylvania, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

17. General provisions

• Severability. If any provision of these Terms is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect.
• Entire agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and TankForge regarding the Service.
• Waiver. Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that provision.
• Assignment. You may not assign or transfer your rights under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights without restriction.

18. Apple-specific terms

If you access the Service through an app obtained from the Apple App Store, the following additional terms apply:

• These Terms are between you and TankForge, not Apple. Apple is not responsible for the Service or its content.
• Apple has no obligation to provide maintenance or support for the Service.
• In the event of any failure to conform to an applicable warranty, you may notify Apple and Apple will refund the purchase price (if any) of the app. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Apple has no other warranty obligation with respect to the Service.
• Apple is not responsible for addressing any claims relating to the Service, including product liability, regulatory compliance, or intellectual property infringement.
• Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms and may enforce them against you.

19. Contact

Questions about these Terms: [email protected]